Australian Biker News
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Two bikies
accused of
assault given
bail
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A man gestures from
the entrance to the
Rebels Motorcycle
Club's new Silverton
Park home yesterday.
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MEMBERS of the Rebels Motorcycle Club have set up a base on a Warrnambool industrial estate.
Police last night confirmed that members of the Rebels had a shed in the Silverton Park complex.
The Standard spoke to two men yesterday at the premises, where the Confederate flag and a sign reading ``The Bar'' were displayed on the roof.
Initially reluctant to talk to the media, the men firmly refused to reveal their names or which club they were associated with.
They did invite The
Standard into their shed,
sparsely decorated with a
campervan, table and chairs,
for a brief interview.
``We are not out to cause any trouble.''
The unknown bikers claimed that their club had three Warrnambool members and had been at the shed for a few weeks. They described the venue as a place where they could drink, smoke and work on their motorbikes.
The city council did not know about the clubhouse when contacted yesterday.
It confirmed an investigation would be launched to see if the club's use of the facility is in line with its industrial zoning.
``They are allowed to do... mechanical work and motorcycle operations without a permit,'' physical services director Neil Allen said.
The Rebels is the biggest bikie gang in Australia.
Four of the club's members were wounded - two seriously - last Saturday in Adelaide following an early-morning nightclub shooting.
The Age reported on Sunday that authorities were concerned about a war breaking out between rival bikie gangs in several states, including Victoria.
There is believed to be increasing tension in Melbourne suburbs between the Rebels and a rival motorcycle gang, the Bandidos.
Bikies rev
up Kings Cross cops
Wentworth Courier
Author:
Kim Shaw
Posted:
Wed 6 Jun, 2007
Bikies rev up Kings Cross
cops
Police say bikies are moving
into Kings Cross more than
ever before and extra police
have been brought in to
assist. Photo: Amos Aikman
Motorcycle gangs are moving
into Kings Cross at an
increasing rate and local
police have called on the
State Crime Command and
other branches to boost
police numbers.
At least five licensed
premises are under special
watch, Kings Cross crime
manager Inspector Jenny
Hayes told a community
meeting last week.
The list included up-market
night clubs as well as strip
clubs.
Inspector Hayes said
increased bikie presence may
be linked to financial
interests in licensed
premises and suggested that
factional or gang rivalry
may also be taking place.
"Specifically in the last
three to four months I have
requested an increased
police presence here,"
Inspector Hayes said.
"Bikies are starting to
creep into the area and
bikie incidents are
escalating," she said.
While bikies often went
without their "colours'', or
identifying leather
clothing, they were also
storming into premises in
large numbers wearing their
"colours", Kings Cross crime
prevention officer Constable
Renae Nottage said.
"They generally storm into a
club in numbers, if they are
associates of people with
business interests up here
and want to socialise, and
if there are two groups up
here at the same time, there
can be conflicts," Constable
Nottage said.
Last month in Kings Cross,
assaults increased by a
third of the monthly average
to reach 100 incidents.
Police had no explanation
for the unseasonal increase.
Stealing offences also
increased by a quarter of
the monthly average, to
around 270 incidents.
"Around 50 per cent of our
assaults are alcohol
related," Inspector Hayes
said. "The more licensed
premises we get into the
area, the more people come
in, and reason would tell
you, there is more of
everything occurring."
Inspector Hayes said there
was no measure for
"cumulative impacts",
therefore courts could not
accept these arguments when
considering development
applications for licensed
premises.
Residents congratulated
local police for doing a
"good job" at a community
meeting last week, but
called upon City of Sydney
Council and the State
Government to curtail the
number of late-trading
licensed premises, and
complained about the
proliferation of licensed
premises in Kings Cross.
Residents also complained of
the roar of late-night
drive-throughs by gangs on
as many as 20 motorcycles.
Wanted
bikie interstate, police
fear
SAM RICHES, NICK HENDERSON
and AAP
June 04, 2007 02:30pm
Article from: The Advertiser
ONE of four men linked to
the Finks and wanted over
the shooting of Rebels
bikies outside Tonic
nightclub may have fled
interstate.
"We're looking for four
people but there's certainly
potential he may have left
the state," said deputy
commissioner Gary Burns.
Police revealed today they
had met with both the Finks
and Rebels bikie clubs in
attempts to stop escalating
or retaliation attacks.
"They've listened and
they've been reasonably
cooperative so far," deputy
commissioner Gary Burns said
today, after meeting with
police minister Paul
Holloway.
"We're aware of who we're
looking for. It's a matter
of locating those people
now. . this is an incident
that wasn't part of the
general turf warfare that
these gangs are involved in,
I think it was about other
issues and as a result it's
got out of hand for both
groups," he said.
Deputy Commissioner Burns
said while the investigation
was "straightforward it
could be hampered by the
clubs involved.
"The issues we will have to
deal with is the motorcycle
gangs and whether they will
be forthcoming in providing
us with statements," he
said.
Meanwhile the issues of
tougher laws specifically
surrounding outlaw
motorcycle gangs was a
priority.
Mr Holloway said discussions
would continue on broadening
and strengthening
legislation targeting bikies,
but that courts needed to
take a similarly hard-line
to support police and
government.
"I just think we'd like to
see the appropriate
penalties implied," he said.
"If we're going to get rid
of this curse from our
society, they need the
backing of courts to provide
the appropriate penalty."
The same meeting addressed
concerns surrounding the
theft of stolen surveillance
documents which were handed
to the Finks.
Not only has it compromised
sensitive drug and bikie-related
investigations, Mr Burns
revealed informants had also
been compromised.
"We have had some concerns
about the safety of
informants and once again
we've taken steps to ensure
their safety is managed," he
said.
A major internal inquiry is
continuing into the incident
as well as protocol and
policy procedures and
efforts to retrieve
outstanding documents.
Rann aims at bikie
'terrorists'
Earlier today, Premier Mike
Rann labelled bikies
"terrorists within our
community" and said the
State Government was willing
to introduce any law Police
Commissioner Mal Hyde asked
for.
"I will be asking the police
commissioner tell us what
you want,'' he said.
"If there are other laws
that you need tell us and
you will get them.''
His comments follow the
early Saturday morning
shooting of four Rebels
motorcycle club members by
two gunmen.
Mr Rann also criticised
lawyers that "hold up''
anti-bikie legislation
through court appeals.
"My message today to the
lawyers is join us in the
fight against people who in
my view are terrorists
within our community rather
than frustrate us."
Shooting and theft 'not
linked'
Meanwhile, police have
denied there is a link
between the shooting
involving and the theft of
confidential police
documents that ended up with
a bikie gang member.
South Australian Assistant
Commissioner Tony Harrison
said the theft of the
documents last Wednesday was
a random incident and not
connected with the incident
at the Tonic Nightclub on
Saturday that put four
people in hospital.
"I certainly don't believe
there is any correlation
between the security breach
in relation to the documents
and the shooting at the
weekend," Mr Harrison told
ABC radio today.
Two people remain in
hospital in a serious
condition after the
shooting, with one expected
to undergo surgery today.
The others have been
discharged.
"The shooting is not
considered a random attack
and police are following up
on several lines of inquiry
including reviewing closed
circuit television footage
from the nightclub," a
spokesman said.
"The shooting has been
declared a major crime
mainly due to the serious
nature of the incident."
The shooting came just days
after confidential police
documents and photographic
equipment were taken from an
unmarked police car.
Police said some of those
documents were handed over
to a number of people,
including a member of a
motorcycle gang.
But some documents and the
photographic equipment were
also recovered when a
46-year-old man was arrested
on Thursday night.
Mr Harrison said police were
currently reviewing policies
in relation to the security
of confidential police
documents and were assessing
the impact of the security
breach on current
operations.
"The reality is motorcycle
gangs have spread their
tentacles right across a
number of criminal networks
in Adelaide and they are
able to source such
information very quickly,"
he said.
He said police believed they
knew the identity of the
person who had broken into
the police vehicle, but that
person had not yet been
apprehended.
Shooting and theft 'not
linked'
June 04, 2007 11:40am
Article from: AAP
POLICE have denied there is
a link between a shooting
involving rival bikie gangs
at an Adelaide nightclub and
the theft of confidential
police documents that ended
up with a bikie gang member.
South Australian Assistant
Commissioner Tony Harrison
said the theft of the
documents last Wednesday was
a random incident and not
connected with the incident
at the Tonic Nightclub on
Saturday that put four
people in hospital.
"I certainly don't believe
there is any correlation
between the security breach
in relation to the documents
and the shooting at the
weekend," Mr Harrison told
ABC radio today.
Two people remain in
hospital in a serious
condition after the
shooting, with one expected
to undergo surgery today.
Two other men were
discharged after treatment
for minor injuries.
All four were linked to the
Rebels bikie gang.
Police said they believed
two men were responsible for
firing up to 10 shots.
"The shooting is not
considered a random attack
and police are following up
on several lines of inquiry
including reviewing closed
circuit television footage
from the nightclub," a
spokesman said.
"The shooting has been
declared a major crime
mainly due to the serious
nature of the incident."
The shooting came just days
after confidential police
documents and photographic
equipment were taken from an
unmarked police car.
Police said some of those
documents were handed over
to a number of people,
including a member of a
motorcycle gang.
But some documents and the
photographic equipment were
also recovered when a
46-year-old man was arrested
on Thursday night.
Mr Harrison said police were
currently reviewing policies
in relation to the security
of confidential police
documents and were assessing
the impact of the security
breach on current
operations.
"The reality is motorcycle
gangs have spread their
tentacles right across a
number of criminal networks
in Adelaide and they are
able to source such
information very quickly,"
he said.
He said police believed they
knew the identity of the
person who had broken into
the police vehicle, but that
person had not yet been
apprehended.
Confidential police papers
held by bikies
June 03, 2007 04:04pm
Article from: AAP
CONFIDENTIAL police
documents stolen from an
unmarked police car have
ended up in the hands of an
Adelaide bikie gang member,
police said today.
Assistant Commissioner Tony
Harrison said the incident,
the subject of an inquiry as
well as an ongoing police
investigation, began with
the theft of police
documents and photographic
equipment from the car
parked in a suburban
driveway last Wednesday.
"They later found themselves
in the hands of a number of
people in Adelaide, (and) we
believe a member of a
motorcycle gang,'' he said.
Some of the documents and
equipment were recovered
when a 46-year-old man was
arrested on Thursday night.
"We are currently reviewing
our policy in relation to
the security of confidential
police documents,''
assistant commissioner
Harrison said.
He said there was nothing
"out of the ordinary'' about
the documents being in the
car and the vehicle was the
subject of a "random
theft'', with at least one
other car in the same street
broken into that night.
"We are assessing at the
moment the impact of the
security breach in relation
to current operations,'' he
said.
"The reality is that some
operations may have been
compromised.''
Assistant commissioner
Harrison said he did not
believe the safety of any
officers had been
compromised.
He said police believed they
knew the identity of the
person who had broken into
the police vehicle, but that
person had not yet been
apprehended.
Nightclub
bikie shooting sparks fears
of gang war
Adelaide,AU - POLICE were
last night trying to defuse
speculation of a brewing
underworld bikie war
following the shooting of
four outlaw bike gang
members at an Adelaide
nightclub.
Two mystery gunmen shot four
members of the Rebels
motorcycle gang early
yesterday morning.
Police said the gunmen had
been involved in an earlier
altercation with the Rebels
gang members at the Tonic
nightclub in the city
centre. The pair returned to
the club about two hours
later and fired up to 10
shots.
The four victims were rushed
to Royal Adelaide Hospital,
where one man was last night
in a serious but stable
condition. The other three
men also suffered gunshot
wounds but were less
seriously injured.
South Australian Assistant
Police Commissioner Tony
Harrison said there was no
evidence to suggest the
wounded bikie gang members
had been shot by a rival
gang. "We don't believe
that's the case," he said.
"We think it's a one-off,
isolated incident.
"It just so happens that
members of the Rebels outlaw
motorcycle gang were inside
the nightclub and there's
been an altercation between
them and others and that
advanced to 4.40 this
morning when guns were being
produced.
"We believe at this stage
there is possibly two
offenders involved."
Mr Harrison said police were
examining the nightclub's
closed circuit television
footage. He said police did
not know what had caused the
earlier altercation at the
nightclub.
However, authorities have
expressed concern in recent
months about the possibility
of a war breaking out
between rival bikie gangs in
several states, including
Victoria. There is believed
to be increasing tension in
Melbourne between the
Rebels, the biggest bikie
gang in Australia, and the
notorious Bandidos.
The Rebels' North Geelong
headquarters was torched in
April, and a month earlier
the Bandidos clubhouse in
Breakwater was peppered with
bullets by unknown gunmen.
In April, five Bandidos were
charged with setting fire to
the Rebels' clubhouse in
Brisbane. And in March, the
Rebels' new chapter
headquarters in Newcastle
were destroyed in an arson
attack.
Mark Russell
www.theage.com.a
Four shot
outside city nightclub
(Rebels according to Ch9 in
Sydney)
June 02, 2007 12:29pm
Send this article: Print
Email
TWO men are in a critical
condition in hospital, and
two others received gunshot
injuries after a shooting
attack outside an central
city nightclub earlier
today.
Four men were wounded in the
shooting attack outside the
Tonic nightclub in Light
Square in Adelaide's CBD
just after 4.30am.
Police are investigating
whether members of a
motorcycle gang may have
been involved.
The four men with gunshot
wounds were taken to the
Royal Adelaide Hospital. A
hospital spokeswoman said
two of them were in a
critical condition.
South Australian police
spokesman Senior Constable
Tim Dodds said earlier that
three of the men were "okay"
but one was believed to be
in a serious condition.
The ages of the men were
unknown.
"It certainly happened out
the front of the nightclub
for whatever reason. They're
investigating that now," Sen
Const Dodds said.
Four shot,
two critical
June 02, 2007 07:30am
Article from: Sunday Mail
(SA)
TWO men are in a critical
condition in hospital after
a shooting outside an
Adelaide nightclub early
today. Four men were wounded
in the shooting attack
outside the Tonic nightclub
in Light Square in
Adelaide's CBD just after
4.30am.
Police are investigating
whether members of a
motorcycle gang may have
been involved.
The four men with gunshot
wounds were taken to the
Royal Adelaide Hospital. A
hospital spokeswoman said
two of them were in a
critical condition.
South Australian police
spokesman Senior Constable
Tim Dodds said earlier that
three of the men were "okay"
but one was believed to be
in a serious condition.
The ages of the men were
unknown.
"It certainly happened out
the front of the nightclub
for whatever reason. They're
investigating that now," Sen
Const Dodds said.
Police will hold a media
conference this afternoon.
Four shot,
one serious
June 02, 2007 07:30am
Article from: Sunday Mail
(SA)
Send this article: Print
Email
AT least four people were
shot - leaving one in a
critical condition - at an
Adelaide nightclub this
morning. The shooting
happened at The Tonic
nightclub, Light Square,
just after 4.30am.
Police, who are still
investigating the shooting,
say it may have involved
members of a bikie gang.
It is believed at least four
people have been taken to
the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Further details to follow.
Tear
gas, thunder flashes used in
raids on gang houses
NZPA | Thursday, 31 May 2007
Thunder
flashes and tear gas were
used by armed police when
they raided gang houses in
Auckland today.
Police searched three Hell's
Angels properties in Mt
Eden, South Head and
Patumahoe.
Two people, a 44-year-old
man and a 47-year-old man,
were arrested and are
expected to appear in
Auckland District Court in
Auckland later today on
charges of charge of
threatening to cause
grievous bodily harm on May
17.
The armed offenders squad
was used in the Mt Eden and
Patumahoe raids.
Police said no firearms were
recovered from any of the
properties.
Residents of Mt Eden's
Brentwood Avenue were woken
shortly after 6.30am by a
loud explosion as police set
off thunder flashes as
diversionary devices, and
witnessed police ordering
the occupants of the gang
house.
The gang members were told
to lie on the ground and
several were handcuffed.
One neighbour said there was
a lot of noise from barking
dogs and people were yelling
and swearing.
Police closed off the street
and would not let members of
the public or media within
50 metres of the house.
Some journalists, including
NZPA photographer Wayne
Drought, were threatened
with arrest.
Drought was taking
photographs of the incident
from a house next to the
gang house when he was
spotted by police and
ordered to move back behind
the cordon because he was
interfering with the police
operation.
An ambulance also attended.
Bikie
fight in hotel car park
May 30, 2007 11:30am
Article from: Herald-Sun
POLICE arrested two bikies
early today following a
fight in the car park of a
hotel.
A search of the area later
located a loaded
semi-automatic pistol,
believed to have been dumped
by the pair.
Patrols were called to the
Torrens Arms Hotel, Belair
Rd, at 1.30am following
reports of a disturbance in
its car park
When they arrived a Holden
was driven at police and
patrons at high speed before
being stopped by police in
Ayre Ave, Torrens Park.
A police dog unsuccessfully
searched the vehicle for a
pistol before finding the
weapon near the hotel.
The third person involved in
the fight received minor
injuries and told police he
did not want to lay charges.
A 42-year-old man from
Salisbury South was arrested
and charged with endangering
life, driving in a dangerous
manner, refusing a breath
test and possessing
ammunition.
The second man, a
28-year-old from Greenwith,
was arrested for refusing to
provide his name and
address.
Both were released on police
bail to appear in court on a
later date.
Anyone with information is
asked to call
1-800-shut-the-fuck-up
Sex with
drug suspect
By Renee Viellaris
May 28, 2007 12:00am
Article from: The
Courier-Mail
A POLICEMAN had sex with a
bikie gang associate before
giving her information about
a drug operation, according
to documents obtained by The
Courier-Mail.
Sen-Constable Peter Chapman
sought sensitive
intelligence for Shae Lee
Horne, despite suspecting
she was a drug trafficker
and an associate of the
Finks outlaw motorcycle
gang.
Horne is alleged to have
shared the information with
a suspected drug dealer who
was being investigated by
the Australian Federal
Police.
Chapman, stationed at the
then Surfers Paradise
Juvenile Aid Bureau, has
since been sacked but in the
Supreme Court next month
will fight to be reinstated.
An internal police
disciplinary hearing on June
5, 2005, fined him $150 to
be paid over six weeks. The
Crime and Misconduct
Commission deemed the
judgment too lenient and
appealed to the Misconduct
Tribunal last year.
Documents obtained by The
Courier-Mail show that
Chapman had sex with Horne
in July-September 2004,
while investigating her
domestic violence complaint.
He had suspected Horne was a
drug trafficker and a Finks
associate.
In November, Horne asked
Chapman for information
about Benjamin Paul Harris,
who had been charged with
drug offences.
Horne alleged Harris owed
her $8000 and she wanted to
know whether police had
confiscated the cash.
Misconduct Tribunal
documents show that Chapman
then "accessed official and
confidential information"
about Harris.
Through telephone intercept
powers, the AFP was alerted
to the fact that one of
their targets was seeking
confidential police
information through a female
associate.
It notified the CMC, which
investigated the allegations
and, on July 22, 2005, sent
its report on Chapman to
police Assistant
Commissioner David Melville.
On the three matters –
having sex with a domestic
violence complainant,
accessing confidential
information outside official
duties, and releasing the
information – Mr Melville
imposed a fine.
The CMC appealed to the
Misconduct Tribunal, arguing
the community would expect
more of a police officer. On
September 22, the Misconduct
Tribunal ordered Chapman be
sacked.
"It is reasonable to infer
that Chapman was not a naive
police officer," the
tribunal said.
"He knew the reason that
Horne was requesting the
information. He suspected
Horne was actively involved
in trading amphetamine.
"It is clear that any police
officer engaging in conduct
of this nature (in matters
two and three) should be
dismissed from the service.
"His conduct in accessing
official and confidential
information in Queensland
Police Service databases
without official purpose . .
. and the passing on of that
information to someone he
believed was an amphetamine
dealer with links to outlaw
motorcycle gangs (matter
three), is deserving of the
ultimate sanction."
Three
bikies charged over vicious
nightclub brawl
23rd May 2007, 8:45 WST
Three members of the Gypsy
Jokers outlaw motorcycle
gang have been charged over
a vicious brawl outside a
Gosnells nightclub earlier
this month.
Gang Crime Squad officers
yesterday charged Dean Alan
Adams, 43, Peter Floyd
Robinson, 43, and Gordon
Edwin Rodgers, 48, with acts
with intent to cause
grievous bodily harm.
Police will allege that the
bikies fought with other
patrons of the Cactus
Nightclub in the rear car
park about 3.45am on
Saturday, May 12.
Three men needed medical
treatment after being
assaulted with various
weapons. One man received
multiple injuries, including
deep lacerations to his head
and face. It is understood
one man was struck up to 13
times with a tyre iron bar.
Gang Crime Squad officers
searched a home in
Roleystone and one in
Kenwick yesterday before
arresting two of the Gypsy
Joker members. A third
member was charged when he
appeared at the Armadale
Magistrates Court on another
matter.
Det Snr-Sgt Ron Adams said
inquiries were continuing.
The three bikies will appear
in Armadale Magistrates
Court today.
GABRIELLE KNOWLES
Police fear
bikie may intimidate witness
May 22, 2007 - 5:39PM
High-profile Coffin Cheaters
bikie Troy Mercanti has been
granted bail despite police
concerns he may try to
"intimidate" witnesses to
his alleged assault on a man
in a Perth nightclub.
Police allege Mercanti, 39,
from Duncraig in Perth's
north, struck a 26-year-old
man, breaking his jaw,
inside the Geisha Bar on
James Street, Northbridge,
about 5am (WST) on May 13.
Mercanti on Tuesday
presented himself to police,
who charged him with
grievous bodily harm and
took him into custody.
The father of three appeared
in Perth Magistrates Court
several hours later, where
police opposed bail, saying
they had a strong case
against him.
The police prosecutor said
there was "high quality CCTV
footage" of the incident, in
which Mr Mercanti could
clearly be seen striking the
victim.
She said the victim was
likely to suffer permanent
damage and, if the charge is
proven, Mercanti faces a
high likelihood of
imprisonment.
She also said police feared
Mercanti may try to
intimidate witnesses to the
incident if he was allowed
to go free.
But Mercanti's lawyer,
Laurie Levy, said the fear
was based on "no more than
speculation".
Mr Levy said Mercanti - who
he described as an
"entertainment and sporting
promoter" - was not a flight
risk and should therefore be
given bail.
Mr Levy said Mercanti had
not been convicted of an
assault since 1993 and had
not breached any bail
conditions since 1990.
Magistrate Paul Nicholls
granted Mercanti $10,000
bail on the condition he not
approach the victim and not
frequent any nightclubs.
Mercanti will reappear in
the same court on August 1.
Bikie
link to firebombing
Phil Thomson
A SPECIAL taskforce cracking
down on warring bikie gangs
has linked the fire that
destroyed a tattoo shop in
Port Macquarie's Short St
more than a week ago to an
outlaw motorcycle
organisation.
But authorities stress it
has not yet been established
that the incident is part of
a gang conflict and the
owner of the business says
her enterprise was not
caught in the middle of a
turf war.
Police believe an accelerant
similar to a Molotov
cocktail was used to start
last Wednesday's Tattoo
Nation fire, leaving the
mother of two who owns the
enterprise with a $230,000
business loan and without an
income.
The Mid North Coast Local
Area Command is
investigating the fire and
detectives are continuing
their search for two men
seen lighting the blaze that
caused $500,000 damage to a
total of seven businesses.
The suspicious fire now has
come under the attention of
officers from the Gang Squad
in Sydney, a police
spokeswoman says.
The squad has set up Strike
Force Ranmore, which was
launched by NSW Police
Commissioner Ken Moroney
this week.
Source: Port Macquarie News
Banned:
police put bounce on bikies
John Kidman
May 20, 2007
POLICE have banned the
Bandido bikies from drinking
at their favourite Sydney
hotels after a Vietnam war
veteran was bashed by 10 of
the outlaw gang's members.
Detectives were so appalled
by the brutality of the
assault, and the fact the
man had no bikie
affiliations, they made a
pact to lock the culprits
up.
Police sources said the
incident was a turning point
in Commissioner Ken
Moroney's determination to
launch a major crackdown on
bikie violence, announced a
fortnight ago.
"Ever since it happened, the
Bandidos have had the bounce
put on them," said one
officer involved in the
investigation.
The identity of the
59-year-old victim, who was
dragged from his car and
beaten unconscious for
"getting in the way" at a
set of traffic lights, is
being kept closely guarded.
Their three local watering
holes - the Ettamogah and
Mean Fiddler hotels at Rouse
Hill and the Bull and Bush
at Baulkham Hills - have
been ordered by police to
close their doors to known
Bandidos members.
The police can order
publicans to ban the bikies
under special community
safety provisions in liquor
laws.
Up to 50 officers from the
police gangs and riot
squads, as well as the
Castle Hill and Quakers Hill
local area commands, have
repeatedly confronted the
Bandidos at their Kellyville
clubhouse and other venues
since the bashing.
Police say the man was set
upon by up to 10 Bandidos at
the corner of Old Windsor
and Schofields roads in the
city's north-west, in late
January.
Moments earlier, about 150
riders wearing Bandidos's
colours had illegally
blocked right-of-way traffic
at the junction and roared
through a red light.
The victim was said to have
been so shaken he declined
to press charges.
Despite difficulties in
establishing the identities
of those involved, police
were committed to bringing
charges, Castle Hill Crime
Manager Detective Inspector
Gary Hutchens said.
"They had their faces
covered with bandannas and
pulled down caps, and they
also had their licence
plates obscured," he said.
"A number of witnesses were
spoken to at the scene but
we're keen to hear from
anyone who might have
further information."
Gangs Squad Commander
Superintendent Scott Whyte
told The Sun-Herald police
had used the state's Liquor
Accord legislation to invoke
the hotel bans.
"Firstly, we targeted these
fellows on pub nights by
working out where they were
and indicating to them that
they were not going to get
away with what happened," he
said.
"We then went to work with
the accord and we've come to
the point where a series of
major hotels have barred the
Bandidos completely."
It has also been revealed
that members of the same
Bandidos chapter were
involved in a shooting at
North Parramatta's Royal Oak
Hotel about a month ago.
Sources claim a group of
rival Rebels bikies went to
the pub looking for the
Kellyville chapter's
president, following the
bashing of a senior Rebel in
Parklea prison on April 12.
They were chased off and
then fired on by a number of
Bandidos members, four of
whom were later arrested and
released.
The clash was yet another
instalment in an ongoing
tit-for-tat battle between
the warring tribes.
Riddle of the ex-bikie and
the drugged QC
* As a successful and
exuberant barrister lies in
coma, Andrew McGarry and
Gary Hughes look at the
company he keeps
* May 19, 2007
THE questions start with
dinner at the Sobey
household. It's chilly at
Skye - the dress-circle
suburb in Adelaide's east
with million-dollar views
across the city - and the
family is eating early.
Tonight they have a guest:
barrister Peter Hayes QC.
The portly Melbourne silk
couldn't be more different
from his host, Anthony John
Sobey. Hayes, 54, is soft of
belly and stentorian of
voice, a pillar of the legal
establishment who married a
daughter of former
governor-general Ninian
Stephen.
Sobey, 51, has the look of a
hard man. Heavily set, his
head now shaven, he's a
former bikie and nightclub
operator who made good in
business. Corporate records
show he operates a string of
companies. That he would
have Hayes to dinner with
some of his six children
last Thursday week, May 10,
speaks volumes for how close
the pair had become.
"Peter Hayes was my senior
legal counsel and person
with whom I had developed
not only a strong
professional relationship,
but a personal relationship,
too," Sobey revealed this
week.
"Peter treated me with an
even-handedness which was a
refreshing change in view of
the adverse way that I have
been treated by the media
and the authorities in
recent times."
Hayes's presence at Sobey's
dinner table is the only
verifiable fact in the chain
of events that led to his
collapse in a hotel room
later that night or early
the next morning.
The barrister yesterday
remained in an induced coma
at Royal Adelaide Hospital,
having suffered a massive
heart attack. Who might have
been with him at the time,
or in the hours preceding,
is now the focus of a police
investigation involving
three teams of detectives
working around the clock.
Police are preparing to
charge a 28-year-old woman
with administering a "drug
of dependence" to Hayes.
This can cover anything from
cocaine or heroin to
amphetamines and illegally
supplied prescription drugs.
A second woman is also
reported to have been
interviewed by police, who
say their information
suggests a number of people
were invited up to Hayes's
14th-floor suite after Sobey
dropped him off at the
Stamford Plaza Hotel. A
third woman, reputed to be a
prostitute, is believed to
have been present.
Police are believed to be
working on the premise that
Hayes took an
as-yet-undisclosed "party
drug" voluntarily -- there
was no suggestion, at this
point in the investigation,
that he had been drugged
against his will. Just how
such a scene came to pass is
not yet clear.
By Sobey's account, the
family meal had ended early.
Sobey discovered Hayes naked
and unconscious in his hotel
room about 9.30am on May 11.
It's possible that Sobey had
a key card. Staff at the
Stamford Plaza confirmed
that spares can be issued to
guests, even if they check
in alone.
The hotel refused to provide
further information on how
Sobey got into Hayes's room
or whether staff were
involved in letting him in.
The shock of the discovery
would have hit Sobey hard,
given that he was already
suffering from severe
depression and anxiety.
He is a man with a colourful
past, to say the least.
A one-time sergeant-at-arms
of the Gypsy Jokers
motorcycle gang, he was
charged with possessing a
drug of dependence in 1993.
Prosecutors dropped the case
in 1994. Then, in 2002, he
was charged with possessing
a controlled substance for
sale, but this was
dismissed.
In late 2005, Sobey was
charged with the alleged
assault of John Richard
Pike. But that case was
dropped a month ago by
prosecutors. A
psychologist's report,
contained in the court file,
describes how "brain
dysfunction" would have made
Sobey incapable of
withstanding
cross-examination at trial.
According to the report,
Sobey underwent hip
replacement surgery last
August, only to experience
continuing complications and
pain. He developed symptoms
of anxiety, depression and
confusion, partly because of
the complications, and
partly because of the
"significant legal matters"
he was involved in.
One of these cases was the
law suit Sobey has launched
against conman Giuseppe
Mercorella, who operated a
pyramid investment scheme in
which Sobey lost millions.
This is what brought Hayes
into Sobey's orbit. He had
flown to Adelaide to
represent Sobey before the
Federal Court.
In a courtroom, Hayes is
admired and feared. The fear
has been greatest for those
who find themselves in the
witness box facing his
relentless and usually
devastating questioning.
Hayes described Steve Vizard
as a "lying, thieving
humbug" while defending the
former television
presenter's book keeper. He
accused motor racing ace
Craig Lowndes of being
"greedy" and told disgraced
businessman Rodney Adler
that "you don't have the
slightest interest in
corporate morality".
He also represented one of
the eight men of interest to
the Dianne Brimble coronial
inquest. That passion and
intensity -- and his
reputation for winning --
led to his being sought out
around Australia.
Even fellow Melbourne silk
Peter Faris QC, who angered
many in the legal world this
week when he alleged a
growing problem of
drug-taking among senior
lawyers, describes Hayes as
"a brilliant lawyer".
Hayes could show the same
passion and intensity
outside the court room, with
friends and associates
pointing to his sudden mood
swings and displays of
emotion.
One of his great passions
was the Melbourne Football
Club, where as a board
member he twice dipped into
his own pocket to lend the
organisation a total of
$500,000 when it was on the
point of collapse.
In February 2004, Hayes
appeared set to fulfil a
dream of becoming club
vice-president, only to lose
by one vote. Bitterly
disappointed, he reportedly
fired off a barrage of more
than 50 bluntly worded text
messages to club president
Paul Gardner and resigned
from the board.
His disappointment quickly
turned to seething anger
when Gardner made public
comments about the
resignation, prompting Hayes
to accuse him of tipping "a
half a bucket of
half-truths".
Outside of the court room
and the Melbourne Football
Club, the corpulent QC with
a love of fine food and
wine, kept a relatively low
profile. His entry in Who's
Who runs to less than 20
words, and most of those are
his address.
He and his estranged wife,
Mary, were regular financial
supporters of the Heide art
gallery in Melbourne. Mary
Hayes and the couple's three
adult children, as well as
his new partner, flew to be
at his bedside.
Additional reporting: Verity
Edwards
'
Bikies
cause havoc at Hamilton
17.05.2007
A GROUP of bikies are said
to have caused "havoc" in a
Whitsunday island nightclub
before making a swift escape
across the high seas –
leaving behind a pile of
jewellery embossed with
their insignia.
Whitsunday police are
investigating six members of
the Rebels Motorcycle Gang,
who are alleged to have
become violent in Hamilton
Island’s Bohemes Nightclub
about 1am Saturday.
"There was a bit of havoc,"
Whitsunday water police
Sergeant Graeme Pettigrew
said.
The six bikers became
involved in a disturbance
with a significant number of
security guards inside the
nightclub, he said.
At least three security
guards were injured; one
received a black eye and
cuts and bruises on his face
and the other two sustained
minor injuries.
The Rebels then left the
island on a private charter
boat before police arrived
the next day.
Although the bikies were not
wearing the club's colours
at the time, Sgt Pettigrew
said jewellery (mainly rings
and chains) left at the club
were embossed with the
Rebels' symbol.
Whitsunday police Senior
Sergeant Steve O'Connell
said police investigations
into the three alleged
assaults were ongoing.
Although nobody has been
questioned in relation to
the incident yet, Snr Sgt
O’Connell said police had
access to video surveillance
and expected to assess the
situation and identify those
involved from the footage.
The impact of the
altercation on other patrons
was minimal, a spokeswoman
for the island said.
"The altercation began
inside the nightclub.
"The whole group was then
moved outside the premises
and onto the street until it
was resolved," she said.
"It all happened just before
closing time and there was
no damage to the premises."
The six Rebels had not been
guests on the island and are
believed to have been
staying on the boat.
Bikie gangs have been on the
police radar for some time
in Mackay.
In March, police raided the
clubhouses of the Outlaws,
Odin’s Warriors and Rebels
motorcycle clubs as part of
an ongoing campaign to make
sure the groups, which have
links to organised crime,
did not "flourish" in the
area. Police have also been
using planned events, such
as bike shows, to gather
intelligence on the "organised
gangs".
17.05.2007
A GROUP of bikies are said
to have caused "havoc" in a
Whitsunday island nightclub
before making a swift escape
across the high seas –
leaving behind a pile of
jewellery embossed with
their insignia.
Whitsunday police are
investigating six members of
the Rebels Motorcycle Gang,
who are alleged to have
become violent in Hamilton
Island’s Bohemes Nightclub
about 1am Saturday.
"There was a bit of havoc,"
Whitsunday water police
Sergeant Graeme Pettigrew
said.
The six bikers became
involved in a disturbance
with a significant number of
security guards inside the
nightclub, he said.
At least three security
guards were injured; one
received a black eye and
cuts and bruises on his face
and the other two sustained
minor injuries.
The Rebels then left the
island on a private charter
boat before police arrived
the next day.
Although the bikies were not
wearing the club's colours
at the time, Sgt Pettigrew
said jewellery (mainly rings
and chains) left at the club
were embossed with the
Rebels' symbol.
Whitsunday police Senior
Sergeant Steve O'Connell
said police investigations
into the three alleged
assaults were ongoing.
Although nobody has been
questioned in relation to
the incident yet, Snr Sgt
O’Connell said police had
access to video surveillance
and expected to assess the
situation and identify those
involved from the footage.
The impact of the
altercation on other patrons
was minimal, a spokeswoman
for the island said.
"The altercation began
inside the nightclub.
"The whole group was then
moved outside the premises
and onto the street until it
was resolved," she said.
"It all happened just before
closing time and there was
no damage to the premises."
The six Rebels had not been
guests on the island and are
believed to have been
staying on the boat.
Bikie gangs have been on the
police radar for some time
in Mackay.
In March, police raided the
clubhouses of the Outlaws,
Odin’s Warriors and Rebels
motorcycle clubs as part of
an ongoing campaign to make
sure the groups, which have
links to organised crime,
did not "flourish" in the
area. Police have also been
using planned events, such
as bike shows, to gather
intelligence on the "organised
gangs".
 |
 |
May 14, 2007 - 3:05PM
Heavy police security was on
hand today as hundreds of
mourners, many of them
bikies, gathered in Sydney
to farewell a Bandidos gang
member killed in a traffic
accident.
Ken Tanti, 32, died when his
motorcycle struck the rear
of a parishioner's car at
high speed outside Our Lady
Queen of Peace church in
Sydney's west last Monday.
About 150 Bandidos attended
the hour-long service -
which was held at the same
church at which Tanti was
killed - as dozens of
police, including the Public
Order and Riots Squad,
provided tight security.
Tanti's coffin was driven to
the church in the sidecar of
a Harley Davidson motorcycle
in a funeral procession of
about 80 Bandidos.
The bikies, wearing gang
colours, were given a police
escort from the funeral home
in Castle Hill to the church
and later to the Pine Grove
Memorial Park where Tanti
was buried.
The bikies, including both
interstate and overseas
members, obeyed a police ban
on the funeral tradition of
riding without helmets.
Among those gathered at the
church were Tanti's parents
Salzu and Maria, his sister
Renee and his daughter
Britany.
Shortly before the service,
a minor scuffle broke out
when one bikie pushed a
cameraman as he filmed
Tanti's mother crying as she
arrived for the funeral.
Tanti's seven-year-old
daughter, Britany, told the
congregation she had lit a
candle for her father and
had added some of his
favourite things to the
coffin.
The vice-president of
Tanti's North Side chapter,
identified only as Ray,
described him as a
strong-spirited and honest
man.
"His two great loves were
his daughter and his family,
and we are all honoured to
be part of that family," he
said.
"Bandidos forever, forever
Bandidos."
Violence between rival clubs
has escalated in the past
two months, with a series of
tit-for-tat shootings and
fire-bombings of clubhouses
in Sydney and Newcastle.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken
Moroney says the Nomads,
Bandidos, Comancheros and
Rebels are behind the
attacks. Police say they are
part of a turf war for the
Sydney nightclub drug scene.
Mr Moroney said he would
recommend legislation
banning gang colours, to
help break up organised
crime gangs.
Gang Squad commander,
Detective Superintendent
Scott Whyte, said today's
police operation went well.
"We gave out certain
instructions to the Bandidos
about compliance with the
law and they have listened
to us and they have done
so," Mr Whyte said.
He said hundreds of police
would be monitoring bikie
gang activity overnight.
AAP and Les Kennedy
Police,
bikies showdown looms after
crackdown
By Neil Mercer
May 13, 2007 01:00am
Article from: The Sunday
Telegraph
MORE than 200 NSW Police
will confront one of
Sydney's biggest outlaw
bikie gangs tomorrow in the
first test of Commissioner
Ken Moroney's crackdown on
bikies.
The showdown will take place
when police - with orders to
enforce the letter of the
law - patrol the funeral
procession of a Bandidos
club member killed in a
traffic accident last week.
More than 200 Bandidos from
NSW and interstate are
expected to take part in the
funeral procession from
Prospect to a cemetery at
Minchinbury, in Sydney's
west.
Tensions are running high
after gangs squad detectives
met senior Bandidos on
Friday afternoon and told
them they would have to wear
their helmets.
Police will also ensure all
bikes are registered and
that riders are licensed.
In the past, police have
turned a blind eye to the
bikie funeral tradition of
riding without helmets.
Gangs have also been given
freedom to ride several
abreast along the road as
they did at the service for
murdered Bandido Rodney Monk
last year.
Several gang members are
understood to be furious at
the police direction.
The officer in charge of the
massive operation, Detective
Superintendent Scott Whyte,
said yesterday his officers
would not take a backward
step.
Outlaw crackdown
Tomorrow's showdown follows
last Thursday's announcement
by Commissioner Moroney of a
"multi agency" crackdown on
all outlaw motorcycle gangs.
In particular, police are
targeting bikies believed to
be responsible for a series
of shooting and arson
attacks in the past two
months.
He named the gangs as the
Bandidos, Nomads,
Commancheros and the Rebels.
Mr Moroney said the
incidents were "related to a
turf war involving drug
distribution networks in the
inner-city nightclubs".
They were also to do with
"escalating tensions over
member defections and
recruitment tactics".
Supt Whyte, the head of the
gangs squad, said of the
shootings: "Bikie groups,
the outlaw motorcycle gangs,
have overstepped the mark.
"The clear message we have
to give is that we have had
enough. We will deal with
it.
"I was not around when
Rodney Monk was shot or for
his funeral. What came out
of that was a flagrant
breaking of the law;
(Bandidos) were riding
without helmets and across
the whole street."
He said his detectives had
met with Bandidos on Friday
to discuss arrangements for
the funeral of the Bandido
killed last Monday.
The 48-year-old man died
from severe head injuries
when his bike collided with
a car in Greystanes, in
Sydney's west.
Police said he was a member
of the Bandidos Sydney North
Side chapter.
'You will obey the road
rules'
Supt Whyte said: "What we
have said to them is that we
understand your grief and
your right to send him off.
But you will obey the road
rules.
"Therefore we want to be
satisfied that every
motorcycle and every vehicle
involved in the funeral
procession is registered.
"We want to be satisfied
everyone on a bike is
licensed.
"We have also informed them
we expect them to obey the
road rules and wear their
helmets."
It is this ultimatum that is
likely to upset at least
some of tomorrow's mourners.
Asked if those breaking the
rules would be stopped and
spoken to, Supt Whyte
replied: "More than spoken
to.
"I suppose some people
wouldn't worry about a fine.
"But the next thing is if
they refuse to obey a
reasonable direction (from
the police)."
He told The Sunday Telegraph
that more than 200 police
would be involved in the
operation. Officers would be
drawn from local area
commands, the highway patrol
and the operational support
group.
Helicopter patrol
The police helicopter will
fly overhead, detectives
from the gangs squad will be
on duty and the public order
and riot squad will be on
standby.
Supt Whyte said police would
provide an escort from the
funeral home to the church
in Prospect and from there
to the cemetery.
Traffic lights would be co-ordinated
to minimise disruption to
the public.
The decision by police to
crack down on bikie
behaviour follows a series
of shootings dating back to
last year.
Law-enforcement sources told
The Sunday Telegraph last
week it was a miracle that a
member of the public had not
already been killed in the
crossfire.
They said the violence had
been provoked by several
disputes. "There are two
(major) blues, one between
the Rebels and the Bandidos
and a separate one between
the Commancheros and the
Nomads.
"Specifically, the Nomads
chapter at Granville ..."
Attacks encouraged
The sources said the jailing
of Nomads Granville boss Sam
Ibrahim and his brother
Michael had encouraged
opportunistic attacks by the
Commancheros.
The Commancheros were trying
to stand over nightclubs
linked to another brother,
John Ibrahim. "I think the
first preference is that the
Commancheros want money,"
sources said.
"It's like, if you don't
pay, we will wreck your
business."
They blamed the Commancheros
for a drive-by shooting at
DCM nightclub on May 5.
Major police presence for funeral of Bandido
Condolences to his
brothers and other family.
John Kidman
May 13, 2007
HUNDREDS of police,
including riot-trained
officers, are on standby for
the funeral of a Bandido
bikie in Sydney tomorrow.
They will facilitate a safe
send-off for "Downtown"
chapter member Kenneth
"Kenny" Tanti, killed in a
riding accident on Monday.
With tensions running high
in the midst of an
unprecedented crackdown on
the state's warring biker
tribes, senior officers have
mapped out a traffic plan
for the occasion, which is
expected to attract a large
Bandido contingent.
Tanti will be remembered in
a Catholic mass at
Greystanes at noon and
buried at Pinegrove Memorial
Park in Eastern Creek.
"In essence, we've told them
we're prepared to give them
a green-light corridor
between the funeral home and
the church and the church
and the cemetery," NSW gangs
squad commander
Superintendent Scott Whyte
said yesterday.
"What we expect from them is
that every vehicle involved
will be registered, every
rider will be licensed and
that the road rules will be
obeyed.
"We understand that, as a
group, they will be grieving
over the loss of one of
their members. We understand
and respect their right to
send him off."
Tanti, a father of one, was
killed in the early hours of
Monday at South
Wentworthville.
It is believed he rode over
a rise and into the path of
a reversing truck.
Sources have suggested that,
as a disqualified rider, he
may have been speeding
because he had been startled
after spotting a highway
patrol car. However, police
said his death was not being
investigated as suspicious.
Tanti's grieving mother,
Maria, said yesterday: "All
I know is that my son is
dead and we cannot bring him
back."
Tanti's death happened three
days before Police
Commissioner Ken Moroney
launched Operation Ranmore.
The Australian Crime
Commission and NSW Crime
Commission have also vowed
to target the four groups -
the Bandidos, the Nomads,
the Rebels and the
Comancheros - involved in a
tit-for-tat battle for
control of drug and
protection rackets.
Superintendent Whyte said
police would be "trying to
take a non-confrontational
approach" at tomorrow's
funeral. "But we're also
going to be very, very
firm," he said.
Fly the flag
and pay the price: police
call for bikie crackdown
Les Kennedy
May 11, 2007
Fuck off wankers itll
never happen...
WEARING the insignia of
outlaw motorcycle gangs
would be made illegal in NSW
under police measures to
break up organised crime
groups.
The Police Commissioner, Ken
Moroney, said yesterday that
he would recommend
legislation banning gang
colours, similar to
anti-Mafia racketeering laws
in the US.
Violence between rival clubs
has escalated in the past
two months, with a series of
tit-for-tat shootings,
assaults and firebombings of
bikie club houses in Sydney
and Newcastle.
"We are fed up with bikie
gangs launching acts of
retribution on the streets
of Sydney endangering the
lives of innocent people,"
Mr Moroney said.
He singled out the Nomad,
Bandido, Comanchero and
Rebel gangs as the
protagonists in what the
Police Gang Squad commander,
Detective-Superintendent
Scott Whyte, said was a turf
war for control of the
Sydney nightclub drug scene
and protection rackets.
Mr Moroney said police
intelligence showed the
dispute had been exacerbated
by defections to rival
clubs.
Sixty Nomads had joined the
Bandidos while the Hells
Angels' ranks had been
swelled by members of the
Finks.
Mr Moroney said police
intended to crack down on
all outlaw gangs with
particular focus on those
involved in recent
retribution attacks.
"The [gangs] have been put
on notice. The violence must
stop and the NSW Police
Force will stop it. Enough
is enough," Mr Moroney said.
Last Saturday in Oxford
Street three men were
wounded in a drive-by
shooting outside a
nightclub.
Mr Moroney said Operation
Ranmore would involve the
State Crime Command Gang
Squad, Firearms Squad, local
area command police, the
Public Order and Riot Squad,
Highway Patrol, Licensing
Squad, Airwing, Dog Squad,
Forensic Services and other
specialist groups. The
Australian Crime Commission
and NSW Commission will also
be involved in the
crackdown.
Mr Moroney said police would
raid clubhouses and
accelerate covert
investigations.
"We will carry out traffic
checks on [gang] members and
motorcycles registered; we
will turn up at clubhouses
for compliance checks; we
will scrutinise security
industry licences, liquor
licences and we will enforce
outstanding warrants as a
matter of priority," he
said.
Mr Whyte said police would
not try to mediate feuds.
"We are here to enforce the
law and will not, under any
circumstances, be sitting
down to negotiate or broker
deals between warring
[gangs]," he said. "The
message is clear: we are
watching you."
Mr Whyte said that in the
past year the Gangs Squad
had arrested 22 gang members
or associates, laid 145
charges and seized more than
50 firearms from gang
members or clubhouses.
"I think at the end of the
day they will be sick of the
sight of us," he said.
The Police Minister, David
Campbell, said that he would
consider any recommendations
made by Mr Moroney with
regard to banning the
wearing of gang colours, but
would not make any
"knee-jerk" announcements.
with AAP
Bike gangs
target of crackdown
By Simon Kirby
May 10, 2007 11:24am
Article from: AAP
CRIMINAL motorcycle gangs
will be targeted in a
crackdown by police in New
South Wales.
Strike Force Ranmore will
involve officers from local,
riot, traffic and licensing
police as well as a
specialist state crime
command squads and local
government.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken
Moroney said officers would
use every legal means
possible to harass gang
members over what
authorities say is a
nationwide issue.
outlaw motorcycle gangs had
been linked to a string of
increasingly violent
tit-for-tat incidents, Mr
Moroney said today.
Police suspect bikies were
responsible for spraying a
newspaper delivery van with
bullets in the city's west
yesterday morning, an attack
that followed a drive-by
shooting at a central
nightclub last weekend.
"I'm not going to tolerate
this level of violence, this
escalation of violence," Mr
Moroney said.
"These are people who seek
to operate outside the law
but I tell you clearly, not
on this fella's patch."
Mr Moroney singled out the
Bandidos, Nomads,
Comancheros and Rebels
groups, who he said were
involved in turf wars over
illegal drugs and defections
from one gang to another.
Police
fear Milperra massacre could
be repeated
Les Kennedy
May 9, 2007
TWENTY-THREE years after
they clashed in a gun battle
that became known as the
Milperra massacre police
fear the Bandido and
Comanchero motorcycle gangs
are headed for another
bloody showdown.
Their growing alarm comes
after the fourth arson
attack on an outlaw
motorcycle club in NSW since
March.
The target was the Bandido
City Crew chapter in
Petersham. Fifteen shots
were fired into its armoured
door on April 17.
At 10.30pm on Monday, police
said, a security camera
captured a man wearing a
balaclava hurling a petrol
bomb onto the fortified
building.
The fire was quickly doused
and caused more damage to a
car in an adjoining yard.
Early on Friday a blaze
gutted the Comanchero
clubhouse in Marrickville.
That was followed by a
drive-by shooting outside
the Oxford Street nightclub
DMC at 3am on Saturday, in
which two men were seriously
wounded and another grazed.
The gang squad's commander,
Detective Superintendent
Scott Whyte, said although
the two seriously wounded
men were not members of a
gang DCM was a haunt for
Nomad members, whose
Parramatta Chapter
headquarters in Granville
was firebombed on April 4.
The blaze is believed to
have been ignited by
Comanchero members. The same
night, there was a gun
attack on a Newtown tattoo
shop owned by the Nomad
national president, Scott
Orrock.
Mr Whyte said it was not
clear what had triggered the
escalating violence that
began in March, when someone
set fire to an industrial
unit at Wickham, Newcastle,
that the Sydney-based Rebels
had planned to use for a new
club.
Comanchero members are also
believed to have been behind
the trashing of a former
Nomad haunt, the nightclub
Mr Goodbar, on March 15,
during which a shot was
fired.
Police have said 60 members
of the Nomad club's
Parramatta branch have
defected to the Bandidos.
Detective Superintendent
Whyte said the gang squad
planned to meet gang
leaders.
"What I won't be doing is
sit them down at a table and
make them kiss and make up,"
he said.
"We are going to say to each
of them that this behaviour
will not be tolerated."
Sydney
police launch crackdown on
biker gangs
Thursday, 10 May 2007. 10:05
The NSW Police Commissioner,
Ken Moroney, has announced a
crackdown on outlaw
motorcycle gangs in
Sydney.ABC TV
The New South Wales Police
Commissioner has announced a
crackdown on outlaw
motorcycle gangs in Sydney.
A multi-agency police
strike-force has been set up
to help combat the
escalating violence between
rival bikie gangs.
Commissioner Ken Moroney
says there have been a
number of shootings, arson
attacks and assaults during
the past two months.
He says the violence is
related to a turf war
involving drug distribution
networks in inner-city
nightclubs, as well as
escalating tensions over
member defection and
recruitment tactics.
Commissioner Moroney says
tough action will be taken
to stop the violence.
"It's getting to a point now
where this tit-for-tat has
the distinct possibility of
escalating out of control."
he said.
"Outlaw motorcycle gangs
have been put on notice."
The violence must stop and
the New South Wales Police
Force will stop it."
"Enough is enough. We are
fed up with bikie gangs
launching acts of
retribution on the streets
of Sydney endangering the
lives of innocent people"
"I will use every lawful
means at my disposal to
bring this criminal activity
to an end."
"My police will force outlaw
motorcycle gang members into
line and will not stop until
the problem is solved."
Anyone with information
about motorcycle-gang crime
is encouraged to shut the
fuck up!
Police say information can
be given anally
Three hurt in nightclub
drive-by shooting
By Marnie O'Neill and Ilya
Gridneff
May 06, 2007 01:00am
Article from: The Sunday
Telegraph
* Shots fired from dark-blue
sedan
* More than a dozen shots
heard
* Two men serious but stable
in hospital
THREE men were wounded when
a Sydney nightclub with
bikie links was sprayed with
bullets in the city's latest
drive-by shooting.
Police said about 100 people
were standing outside the
Nomads-linked DCM nightclub,
also known as UN, when they
were fired on from a
dark-blue sedan at 3.30am (AEST)
yesterday.
More than a dozen bullets
were fired at the Oxford St
club, three of them
shattering the glass facade
of Trumps, a next-door hair
salon.
One man, 42, suffered a
wound to the stomach while a
second man, 26, was shot at
least twice in the torso.
Both were in a serious but
stable condition after
undergoing surgery at Royal
Prince Alfred Hospital
yesterday.
A third man, 23, was
released after being treated
for bullet grazes.
"It's very lucky that nobody
was killed," Surry Hills
Superintendent Daryl
Donnolly said.
"At this stage we're not
sure if the injured men were
part of a large group of
about 100 people standing
outside the club at the
time."
Shocked clubbers said they
saw no dispute inside or
outside the R&B and hip-hop
club night called "Chocolate
City" before they heard
gunshots.
Kat Pan, 22, of Cronulla,
was waiting for a cab on
Oxford St after spending
Friday night at a club
opposite. "It's unreal! It
all happened so fast - I am
in total disbelief this
happened right here," she
said.
"I was standing just next
door to the club, right near
Gloria Jean's coffee shop
and all of a sudden I heard
a fast car accelerating away
and then there were these
men yelling.
"There were really loud
firecracker sounds and
people dived to the ground.
People were ducking for
cover and then a little bit
later we realised it was
bullet fire."
Her friend, Michael, said he
went to the aid of one of
the wounded men.
"After the bullets stopped
everyone began running, but
I saw one of the men didn't
get up from the ground," he
said.
"He was a huge guy and I
went to see if he was OK and
then saw massive amounts of
blood.
"I held his leg up for him
in a first-aid way and
realised he was in extreme
pain.
"There was blood everywhere
and someone went to get
towels from the club but
couldn't find any.
"Someone put the belt around
his leg to stop the blood
flow but he was complaining
and then I realised he was
shot in the ankle."
Supt Donnolly said it was
too early to link the
shooting to the ongoing turf
war between the Nomads, the
Bandidos and the Comancheros.
But detectives from State
Crime's gangs squad are
assisting Surry Hills Police
in their investigations into
the incident
Bikie
clubhouse firebombed
By Henry Budd
May 08, 2007 12:00
Article from: The Daily
Telegraph
A BIKIE clubhouse was
firebombed last night, two
weeks after a gunman fired
eight shots into the
building.
Fire fighters and police
were called to the Bandidos
clubhouse on Queen St,
Petersham at 23.35 after an
arsonist attempted to throw
a molotov cocktail through a
side window.
The cocktail caused minor
damage to the exterior of
the building and a car in a
neighbouring caryard.
Nobody was injured in the
attack, however Bandidos
members were inside the
clubhouse at the time of the
attack and refused police
entry into the building.
Witnesses have told
investigators they saw a
man, about 184cm tall and
wearing a balaclava, running
from the scene west along
Queen Street shortly after
the fire broke out.
The firebombing is the
latest in a string of
attacks on bikie owned
premises.
Three men were injured in a
drive-by shooting on an
Oxford St nightclub with
ties to the Nomads on
Saturday night.
The Comancheros' clubhouse
in Meek St, Marrickville was
destroyed after being
firebombed last week.
Eight shots were fired into
the Bandidos' Petersham
clubhouse two weeks ago,
days after the Rebels'
national sergeant-at-arms
was bashed in Parklea jail.
In April a Newtown tattoo
shop belonging to the
Nomads' national president
was shot up on the same
night the Nomads' clubhouse
was firebombed.
Bikie war
continues
Julie McNamara
05May07
A HOME was peppered with
shotgun pellets as an East
Geelong couple and their
young child slept early
yesterday. Police think the
incident is related to an
alleged turf war between the
Bandidos and Rebels
motorcycle groups, which is
believed to have been the
trigger for a recent spate
of shootings in the city.
Head of Geelong CIU,
Detective Senior Sergeant
Rod Lloyd, said there was
one shotgun blast to the
front door of the McNeill
Ave unit, which caused the
security door and front door
to be peppered with several
pellets.
The incident happened at
2.15am.
Det Sen-Sgt Lloyd said the
security door deflected most
of the blast.
He said the young couple and
their small child were not
woken by the blast but a
neighbour had reported
hearing the shot.
The couple said they did not
wish to comment yesterday.
Several pellet holes were
visible in their security
door yesterday.
Det Sen-Sgt Lloyd said there
were no suspects at this
stage and urged any
witnesses to call either the
Geelong CIU or CrimeStoppers
on 1800 033 333.
Rachel Bull, who lives in a
nearby unit with her young
son, said news of the gun
shots was terrifying.
``I've always felt
uncomfortable here,'' Ms
Bull said. ``This has
definitely given me more
reason to leave, I don't
want to be around if
somebody is hurt.''
She said she did not hear
the shots but had heard
noises several nights
earlier.
Another neighbour, who did
not wish to be named, said
they did not hear anything
either but said the incident
had shaken her up.
``It's very, very scary when
it's so close to home,'' she
said.
Police have set up Operation
Sedan in a bid to stem the
hostilities which have been
brewing between rival
motorcycle clubs the
Bandidos and the Rebels.
The Bandidos' Breakwater
clubrooms were riddled with
bullets on February 28 while
a man with links to the
Rebels was shot in the knee
in Whittington on April 2.
Arsonists attacked the
Rebels headquarters in Edols
St, North Geelong, four days
after that.
On April 18 a man was shot
in the ankle in Corio while
shots were fired at a
Torquay home the same night.
Det Sen-Sgt Lloyd said
police believed all
incidents were connected to
the turf war.
He said police were keen to
put a stop to the violence
before an innocent person
was hurt.
``That's our greatest
concern, that innocent
people will get caught up in
this alleged turf war and be
seriously injured or
possibly worse, heaven
forbid.'' Det Sen-Sgt Lloyd
said.
Culture
shifts in outlaw bikie clubs
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200705/r141447_488138.asx
clik for audio version...
PM - Thursday, 3 May , 2007
18:34:00
Reporter: Michael Edwards
MARK COLVIN: Tonight, the
ABC's Lateline program will
take a rare glimpse inside
the secretive world of
Australia's outlaw
motorcycle clubs.
Lateline has discovered that
the once predominantly
Anglo-Saxon culture of the
clubs is changing as more
and more younger Middle
Eastern and Mediterranean
men join their ranks.
Sources have told the ABC
that the new members are
bringing with them links to
organised crime families.
Lateline's Michael Edwards
has this story.
(sound of bikes)
MICHAEL EDWARDS: It's a
sight that inspires awe in
some and dread in others.
Hundreds of bikies and
motorcycle enthusiasts are
massing in Western Sydney
for what's known in the
motorcycle world as a 'run'.
The run was organised by the
world's most famous
motorcycle club - the Hells
Angels - and as with any
public gathering of bikies
comes attention from the
police.
Dozens of bikies are pulled
over for minor traffic
infringements.
Derek Wainohu is the
President of the Hells
Angels in Sydney. He's from
bikie central casting - a
massive man with a bull like
neck, tattoos and
Popeye-like forearms.
He calls it police
harassment.
DEREK WAINOHU: I think what
the police are trying to do
at the moment, they're
paranoid as, and I think
what they've done today is
just absolute overkill, with
no justification at all.
MICHAEL EDWARDS: This event
was a polite affair but it's
the darker side of the bikie
world which is concerning
the police.
Bikie club houses have been
shot up and firebombed. And
there's rumours of a looming
bikie war between two of
Australia's largest clubs,
the Rebels and the Bandidos.
Sources have told the ABC,
the current tensions are a
sign the clubs are changing.
Superintendent Scott Whyte
heads the New South Wales
Gang Squad.
SCOTT WHYTE: Once you get a
few people of a certain
ethnic grouping going into
an outlaw motorcycle gang,
others will follow. And
before long they become the
majority in some gangs. And
that's what we're seeing
right now. Have those people
got less respect? Yes I
think so. I think we are
seeing a more violent style
of conflict at the moment
and that's partly the reason
for it.
MICHAEL EDWARDS: Bikie
expert Arthur Veno from
Melbourne's Monash
University, says over the
past three years, the makeup
of Australian bikie clubs
has undergone a major
change.
ARTHUR VENO: The influx of
people of Middle Eastern
descent, including the
Lebanese, has created some
tensions between the old
guard and the new guard.
For example some clubs
actually didn't take on new
members for 17 years, and
when they did these members
formed basically a
completely new club in the
midst of the old club's
standards.
MICHAEL EDWARDS: Crime
authorities, operating
separately to the New South
Wales Police, have told the
ABC that two bikie clubs are
fighting for turf in
Sydney's Kings Cross and
inner city nightclub
district.
Controlling the nightclubs
brings with it greater
access to Sydney's thriving
amphetamine market. Bikie
clubs have long been
suspected of being prominent
in the manufacture and
distribution of the drug.
Superintendent Scott Whyte
has revealed to the ABC for
the first time it's becoming
apparent that the new ethnic
mix in the clubs is bringing
with it links to crime
families.
SCOTT WHYTE: I think there's
little doubt that in recent
times some of the people
joining outlaw motorcycle
clubs who are in Sydney have
done so because of family
connections. I think that
there's been an involvement
in criminal activity -
organised criminal activity
- within family groups, and
they see a bonus to them
that they see the ability of
connecting with an AMCG as
helping their family
business, and that's the
reason behind them doing it.
MICHAEL EDWARDS:
Superintendent Whyte says
this link between bikie club
and crime families could be
the beginning of a new era
of organised crime in
Australia.
But Derek Wainohu from the
Hells Angels maintains the
clubs are like any part of
society - with good people
and bad.
He says the police always
exaggerate bikie crime for
public relations purposes.
DEREK WAINOHU: Go to the
local RSL club, the local
football club. Within that
group of men you'll probably
find someone that's got a
criminal record for assault,
or drugs, or break and
enter. But nobody says that
the entire football club or
RSL or leagues club is a
break and entering drug
dealing organisation.
MARK COLVIN: Sydney Hells
Angels Motorcycle Club
President Derek Wainohu,
ending that report by
Michael Edwards. You can see
more on this story on the
ABC's Lateline program
tonight.
May 04, 2007 12:00
Fire-fighters were called to the factory at the corner of Maude Lane and Meeks Rd, Marrickville at 3.30am this morning and found a rear window smashed and the building well alight.
The rear section of the building is believed to be a clubhouse for outlaw motorcycle gang the Comancheros.
The fire destroyed at least one motorcycle housed inside the building.
The building's roof collapsed as fire-fighters cut their way through a side roller door, destroying the tailoring business in the front half of the building.
Police have set up a crime scene and a fire investigation team will examine the cause of the fire later today.
Police were appealing for information about a car, heard leaving the scene a short time after the fire began and anyone with information is urged to
Biker wins $212,000 compo
for hitting dead horse
By Mark Oberhardt
May 02, 2007 01:30am
A MOTORCYCLIST injured when
he hit a dead horse lying on
a Queensland road has been
awarded $212,000 in damages.
Ricky Lee Lawes sued the
Nominal Defendant on the
grounds the motorist who
originally hit the wild
brumby should have cleared
it from the road or
highlighted its presence.
The Supreme Court was told
Mr Lawes, then 21, was
riding from Gympie to
Rainbow Beach, north of
Noosa, when he overtook a
utility on Tin Can Bay Rd,
on March 14, 2003.
After overtaking the ute, Mr
Lawes's motorcycle struck a
horse which was on the road
and he was knocked out when
thrown into grass.
Mr Lawes sued the Nominal
Defendant, a government fund
set up for road accident
victims to claim damages
when another party to the
incident is uninsured or
can't be found.
The Nominal Defendant argued
the horse could die through
other causes such as
slipping, falling or snake
bite.
In a written judgment
released yesterday, Justice
John Byrne said the more
likely explanation was that
the horse had been in a
recent collision with an
unidentified vehicle.
Justice Byrne said Mr Lawes
had to share some of the
blame because he had not
slowed.
He reduced Mr Lawes's
damages by 20 per cent and
ordered he recover $212,000
Murdered
bikie was 'dead man walking'
A man shot dead in cold blood in Perth had been a "dead man walking" since
leaving the Club Deroes
outlaw motorcycle gang to
join the Coffin Cheaters, a
court has been told.
Johnny Montani, 41, of
Morley, is on trial in the
West Australian Supreme
Court for the wilful murder
of Kevin Ashley Woodhouse,
36, outside the Bayswater
Aquatic Centre in Perth on
May 12, 2004.
Prosecutor James Mactaggart
told the court today Montani
shot dead Mr Woodhouse, his
best mate, and then dumped
the bullet cartridges at a
waste disposal site.
Montani's lawyer Philip
Urquhart said Mr Woodhouse
had been a marked man after
switching bikie gang
allegiances, but while he
had been "violently
executed", Montani was not
the killer.
"By May 2004 he was well and
truly a dead man walking,"
Mr Urquhart said.
Mr Mactaggart said Mr
Woodhouse was sitting
outside the aquatic centre
at 4.30am waiting for it to
open when Montani shot him
four times at close range
with a 0.357 Smith & Wesson
revolver.
Mr Mactaggart said a
security guard had tried to
help Woodhouse, with the
victim telling him: "Shot,
shot ... I'm dying, I'm
finished."
The guard asked Mr Woodhouse
what his name was and the
dying man replied: "Johnny
Montoyo, Johnny Montoyo."
The prosecutor says Mr
Woodhouse was naming his
killer.
"What he was doing was
naming his killer, the
person who had just shot
him."
The court was told the pair
were close friends until a
falling out two weeks before
the killing.
Following the murder, police
secretly followed Montani as
he dumped four garbage bags
at a waste disposal centre
in which they found four
spent cartridges matching
the bullets used in the
killing, Mr Mactaggart said.
Montani had a licence for a
0.357 Smith & Wesson and gun
residue was found on his
gloves and the hand grips of
his motorcycle, he said.
"He shot and ruthlessly
killed Mr Woodhouse," he
said.
Montani's lawyer said Mr
Woodhouse had been a target
for a number of years and
had already been the victim
of an attempted drive by
shooting.
The trial continues.
Vic
cops warn clubs (Thanks to
ozbiker.org)
Monday, 30 April 2007
Victorian police believe a
recent spate of Geelong
shootings is part of a
motorcycle 'gang war'
spanning eastern Australia.
Geelong's top detective at
the weekend put the two
groups on notice as the
strength of the town's
entire police force focused
on bringing the 'bloody
battle' to an end.
Head of Geelong CIU
Detective Senior Sergeant
Rod Lloyd said Melbourne
officers were also part of
Operation Sedan, set up to
stem the hostilities which
have brewed all year between
the Bandidos and Rebels
motorcycle clubs.
The battle erupted in
gunshots earlier this year
when the Bandidos'
Breakwater clubroom was
riddled with bullets,
allegedly by people
associated with the Rebels.
A car outside the Balyon Crt
clubhouse was shot at in the
February 28 shooting.
The next day, an anonymous
email was sent to the
Geelong Advertiser claiming
the Bandidos were engaged in
a turf war with the Rebels.
The email read: ``You may or
may not be aware, but the
Banditos (sic) MC clubs in
Geelong, Ballarat and
Melbourne have been called
to arms against the Rebels
MC. The Rebels MC are
attempting a turf
takeover''.
Five weeks later, on April
2, in what police believe
was the first of seven
retaliatory-style shootings
around Geelong, a man with
links to the Rebels was shot
in the knee in Whittington.
Just four days followed
before arsonists attacked
the Rebels headquarters in
Edols St, North Geelong.
Then, less than two weeks
ago on April 18, a gunshot
went off at a house in
Fairbairn Drv, Corio,
injuring a man in the ankle.
Police last week told
Geelong Magistrates' Court
the victim, who did not live
at the address, was a member
of the Rebels motorcycle
club.
Geelong CIU Detective Senior
Constable Max Schiavon told
the court the same victim's
house was shot at two nights
later. No one was hurt this
time but the victim's
six-month-old son was
present during both attacks.
Sen-Constable Schiavon said
that in between the
shootings, about seven hours
after the Corio incident, up
to five members of the
Rebels stormed the Darian
Rd, Torquay, home of a
Bandidos member.
The member wasn't home but
all his windows were smashed
and shots were fired during
the 'run through' Sen-Constable
Schiavon told the court.
"If he were at home at
11.45pm on the 18th of April
he may well have been shot
himself,'' Sen-Constable
Schiavon said.
Police have in their
possession a gun they
believe belongs to a Bandido
and are waiting on forensic
tests.
Sen-Constable Schiavon told
the court chapters of both
clubs around Australia were
in a 'dispute'.
Snr Sgt Lloyd said police
could not comment on what
started the apparent 'turf
war', but "all we're
interested in is stopping
it''.
"It is concerning these
groups think they are above
the law but they are going
to find out they're not,''
Snr Sgt Lloyd said.
He said while the clubs
traditionally kept their
disputes between themselves,
even operating under 'rules
of engagement', police had
genuine concerns an innocent
member of the public could
become a casualty.
"In recent times certain
protocols have been broken
and people do not have
control of stray bullets,''
Snr Sgt Lloyd said.
"There may be innocent
people at locations they are
targeting.''
Snr Sgt Lloyd said the two
clubs appeared to be engaged
in a feud along the east
coast of Australia, with
recent battles also in
Melbourne, Sydney and
Brisbane.
Snr Sgt Lloyd said he did
not know if any of the feuds
were connected, but
retaliatory behaviour often
extended beyond state
boundaries
Coast
house fire linked to bikie
war
27.04.2007
BY CAROLYN TUCKER
A SUSPICIOUS house fire at
Kulangoor a week ago has
been linked to the
escalating war between rival
outlaw motor cycle gangs in
southeast Queensland.
The home had previously been
occupied by Paul McEvoy, one
of six members of the
Bandidos charged over the
arson attack on the Rebels
club house in Brisbane last
month.
The club house attack was
allegedly carried out in
retaliation over a violent
roadside clash between the
Bandidos and the Rebels near
Bribie Island in February.
Witnesses claimed shots were
fired and men were beaten
with baseball bats.
Several members of the
Rebels have been charged
with a range of offences in
relation to the incident.
About two weeks after the
Rebels club house fire,
McEvoy’s car was smashed and
shot at when it was parked
outside a Nambour paint
shop.
Three other members of the
Bandidos charged with arson
were denied bail in the
Supreme Court yesterday
after the Crown argued they
posed an unacceptable risk
of failing to appear,
committing further offences,
endangering the safety of
others and interfering with
witnesses.
Justice Margaret Wilson
refused bail for the men,
saying she was not confident
they would not reoffend.
They are due to face court
again next month. Shadow
Attorney-General Mark
McArdle said escalating
violence between outlaw
motorcycle gang members was
an issue of enormous
concern.
"It impacts on the safety of
the community, law
enforcement officers and
puts those officers in
jeopardy," Mr McArdle said.
"I’m greatly concerned about
the spread of violence and
worried that it could be the
start of a large scale war
between outlaw motorcycle
gangs."
Bikies
turn on chiefs
27Apr07
TWO Bandidos bikies will
turn on members of their own
club by testifying against
senior members over
allegations they torched the
Rebels Clubhouse in Brisbane
last month.
Andrew George Nesbitt, 38,
of the Sunshine Coast, and
Paul McEvoy, 34, of Chambers
Flat, have agreed to give
evidence against the
president, vice-president
and sergeant-at-arms of the
Brisbane Chapter of the
Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
The trio, plus the
disbanding members, are all
charged with arson after the
March 27 blaze which
destroyed the Rebels' Albion
clubhouse.
It is believed both Messrs
Nesbitt and McEvoy have been
granted police protection in
exchange for their evidence
against Ivan Glavas, 47,
Kenneth James Whittaker, 33,
and Blair Raymond Thomsen,
35.
Brisbane's Supreme Court was
told yesterday during a bail
application for the three
men that the alleged arson
was a revenge attack after a
clash between the rival
bikie clubs at Bribie Island
where members of the
Bandidos were pushed off
their bikes by Rebels
members.
Crown Prosecutor Sarah Klemm
opposed bail and said the
arson attack was part of an
ongoing 'war' between the
clubs that had lasted more
than 20 years.
She opposed bail on the
grounds that the public were
at risk and the Bandidos
were also in danger of
further retribution.
"There is evidence of an
ongoing violent feud between
the two clubs," she said.
"Because of this violent
conflict and ongoing
retribution, there is danger
to the applicants
themselves.
The court was told Nesbitt
and McEvoy had given
statements to police which
allege they heard the senior
members discussing a revenge
attack.
It is also alleged the arson
had been planned for the
week before but was
abandoned after Mr Thomsen
and Mr Whittaker had an
argument.
Ms Klemm said Messrs Nesbitt
and McEvoy did not want to
be involved in the arson but
'understood to refuse would
result in them being
expelled from the club'.
'These particular (bail)
applicants were interested
in pursuing personal revenge
and, in fact, did so by an
arson attack on the
clubhouse," said Ms Klemm.
She also argued the three
men had access to firearms
and there was a risk they
would intimidate and
interfere with witnesses.
She said all three men were
a flight risk and there was
a risk they would reoffend.
It is alleged there is CCTV
footage showing Messrs
McEvoy and Whittaker buying
petrol.
It is then alleged that when
they got to the clubhouse,
Mr Whittaker lit the fuse.
However, defence counsel for
the men said their clients
could not be identified from
surveillance video taken
from the Rebels' clubhouse.
They denied the prosecution
case was strong and argued
against the evidence of
Messrs Nesbitt and McEvoy.
"It's not inevitable they
will be found guilty of this
... to say there is a strong
case is simply not correct,"
said Mr Whittaker's
solicitor Adam Guest.
The men offered to adhere to
strict bail conditions and
each post surety ranging
from $100,000 to $150,000.
Justice Margaret Wilson
adjourned the bail
application until today.
Traffic
stop nets big bikie cash
haul
26th April 2007, 15:00 WST
The head of the gang crime
squad has praised two young
traffic officers whose work
led to the alleged seizure
of more than $128,000 from a
bikie gang associate last
night.
Gang crime squad Det-Sen.
Sgt Ron Adams said the
officers pulled over a car
for a minor defect on Crimea
Road in Morley and used
their initiative to
ascertain that its occupants
were known associates of an
outlaw motorcycle gang,
which he did not want to
name for operational
reasons.
When officers from the gang
crime squad attended, they
searched the vehicle and
allegedly found $88,830 cash
in a cardboard box in the
boot.
"Consequently the gang crime
squad executed two search
warrants in Embleton and
Morley and located at the
Embleton address a further
$39,250 cash," Det-Sen. Sgt
Adams said.
Several boxes of growth
hormones were also allegedly
found at the address along
with cannabis and a smoking
implement.
A 31-year-old man is
scheduled to appear in Perth
Magistrate's Court on May 1
to face unlawful possession,
drugs and weapons charges.
Det-Sen Sgt. Adams said it
was an extremely good result
from a routine traffic stop.
"I pay tribute to the two
young officers from the West
Metropolitan traffic office
who used their initiative,"
he said.
"Some people may have just
gone at it half cocked and
not been thorough.
"It is an extremely large
seizure from a vehicle stop
and whoever this person is
involved with will be
certainly hurting at the
moment.
"I have no doubt that his
seizure will hurt either an
outlaw motorcycle gang or a
crime drug syndicate."
DANIEL EMERSON
Perth
bikies in court over alleged
extortion
Members of a Perth
motorcycle gang have been
accused of allegedly trying
to extort money from a local
businessman.
Three members of the God's
Garbage Outlaw Motorcycle
Gang were charged with
extortion and robbery
yesterday after an
investigation by the gang
crime squad.
Police spokesman Sergeant
Graham Clifford said the men
allegedly took money from
the Welshpool businessman on
two occasions.
"At the time (they
allegedly) threatened him
with harm if he did not
comply," he said.
"They were arrested by
police on... April 20... as
they were (allegedly) taking
a third sum of money from
the complainant."
The three club members have
been charged with demanding
money by threats, aggravated
robbery and extortion.
Task force
to investigate bikie gangs
for terrorist links
Published April 23, 2007 by
Editor-in-Chief
Federal Justice Minister
Chris Ellison says a new
task force will investigate
possible links between
motorcycle gangs and
terrorist organisations.
The Australian Crime
Commission task force has
been formed in response to
the significant growth in
bikie gang chapters across
the country.
It is estimated there are
around 3,500 fully patched
gang members in Australia,
as well as a significant
number of nominees and
associates.
Senator Ellison says the
task force will investigate
the possibility that
motorcycle gangs are selling
weapons to terrorists.
“Criminality and terrorism
come together, in that
criminals deal with
terrorists, and that is
something we’ve seen around
the world,” he said.
“So if you have terrorists
who want to purchase illegal
firearms and you have
criminals who are dealing in
those firearms, then of
course you have the
potential for risk.”
Senator Ellison says the
task force will also
investigate the gangs’
involvement in drug
trafficking, prostitution
and money laundering.
The task force will have the
power to force people to
give evidence or face up to
five years in jail.
Police claim major bikie
breakthrough
23rd April 2007, 12:15 WST
A gang crime squad officer
with high-powered weapons
and cash seized from
associates of the God’s
Garbage bikie gang during
raids in the past month.
Picture: Daniel Emerson
Police say they have taken
drastic steps towards
dismantling and disrupting
the activities of the God's
Garbage bikie gang after the
arrest of its president.
Three members of the God's
Garbage outlaw motorcycle
gang, including president
Ronald Mark Scott, have been
arrested and charged with
extortion and robbery
offences.
Police gang crime squad and
tactical response group
officers swooped on the men
on Friday as they were
allegedly attempting to
extort $45,000 in cash from
a middle-aged Welshpool
businessman.
It is alleged the men -
including 46-year-old Mr
Scott, Toby Charles Amoore,
36, and Kingsley Arthur
Ware, 37 - extorted two lots
of cash totalling $9000 from
the man after threatening to
injure him, his family and
associates.
They were arrested on Friday
after allegedly returning to
rob the man a third time.
Gang crime squad acting Sen-Sgt
Doug Stjepic said the arrest
of the president would have
a big effect on the club.
"It's a huge dent on this
particular gang obviously
with the president being
arrested, it makes it
difficult for the club to
run on a day to day basis,"
he said.
"The God's Garbage are an
up-and-coming club, they
have recently established a
chapter in Kelmscott and
also predominantly down in
Albany as well. We are
targeting them on a day to
day basis and we will
continue to target them and
disrupt their activities."
Acting Sen-Sgt Stjepic said
recent raids on God's
Garbage gang associates had
netted three high-powered
guns and quantities of cash.
Recent separate raids on
other gangs had led to the
seizure of 15 firearms,
ballistic vests, drugs and
ammunition.
Mr Scott, who received
treatment for minor injuries
after being stunned by a
Taser during the arrests,
has been charged with
demanding money by threats
and three counts of armed
robbery.
Mr Amoore faces charges of
extortion and three armed
robbery counts along with Mr
Ware, who was also charged
with possessing cannabis and
a smoking implement.
All three men appeared in
East Perth Magistrate's
Court on Saturday where they
were denied bail and
remanded in custody to
appear again tomorrow in
Perth Magistrate's Court.
DANIEL EMERSON
Bikies
arrested for extortion,
robbery
23rd April 2007, 7:15 WST
Three members of the God's
Garbage outlaw motorcycle
gang, including president
Ronald Mark Scott, have been
arrested and charged with
extortion and robbery
offences.
Police gang crime squad and
tactical response group
officers swooped on the men
as they were allegedly
attempting to extort a large
amount of money from a
Welshpool businessman.
It is alleged the men,
including 46-year-old Mr
Scott, Toby Charles Amoore,
36, and Kingsley Arthur
Ware, 37, extorted two sums
of money from the man after
threatening him with
violence.
They were arrested on Friday
after allegedly returning to
rob the man a third time.
Mr Scott has been charged
with demanding money by
threats and three counts of
armed robbery.
Mr Amoore faces charges of
extortion and three armed
robbery counts along with Mr
Ware, who was also charged
with possessing cannabis and
a smoking implement.
All three men appeared in
East Perth Magistrate's
Court on Saturday where they
were remanded in custody to
a later date and denied
bail.
Mongrel
Mob members arrested for
alleged shooting of Hell's
Angel
10:35AM Monday April 23, 2007
Several Hawke's Bay Mongrel
Mob members have been
arrested over the shooting
of a rival Hell's Angels
member.
The 29-year-old Hell's Angel
pulled up on a Harley
Davidson motorcycle at a
Poukawa farm south of
Hastings on February 24
asking for help after being
shot in the back at close
range with a shotgun.
He was taken to hospital to
have shotgun pellets removed
but initially refused to
co-operate with the police
investigation.
He later relented and was
discharged from hospital on
March 14.
Hastings police say they
have now arrested "a number
of Mongrel Mob members".
They were to appear today in
Hastings District Court
facing charges of attempted
murder on February 24, two
counts of conspiracy to
pervert the course of
justice, unlawful possession
of a semi-automatic firearm,
and conspiracy to cause
grievous bodily harm to
rival gang members on April
17 and 18.
The arrests follow police
raids on properties in
Hastings, Flaxmere, Napier
and central Hawke's Bay.
Police had already arrested
a 17-year-old man on March
19 and charged him with
being a party to attempted
murder.
Detective Inspector Sam
Aberahama said further
arrests were likely and
police had spoken to members
of the public and gang
associates.
"Some of these people have
had enough of these people
and have been prepared to
speak out," he said.
He encouraged others to also
come forward: "After
committing crimes these gang
members think nothing of
going to any extent to later
try and cover their tracks.
Arrests
made after Hells Angels
shooting
Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:06am
Police investigating the
shooting of a Hells Angels
gang member in Hastings have
made a number of arrests
during raids on properties
in the area.
Police executed search
warrants at addresses in
Hastings, Flaxmere, Napier
and Central Hawkes Bay this
morning.
A number of Mongrel Mob
members were arrested on
charges relating to various
offences spanning back to
November 2006.
The men have been charged
with unlawful possession of
a firearms, conspiring to
pervert the course of
justice and attempted
murder.
The attempted murder charge
relates to the shooting of
the rival gang member in
February, and last week a
17-year-old was also
arrested on the same charge.
Bikie mate
'stole $2.5m'
Australia - BIKIE boss and
businessman Alex Vella found
the cost of friendship was a
whopping $2.5 million after
allegedly being ripped off
by one of his closest
friends.
Boxing promoter Tony
Caradonna and Vella were so
close that several times he
brought heavyweight legend
Joe Frazier to Australia to
sit ringside with Vella, a
fan.
Today their former
friendship is in the hands
of legal heavyweights.
With one of the state's top
barristers and president of
the NSW Bar Association,
Michael Slattery QC, in his
corner, Vella has agreed to
mediation, beginning today
in the NSW Supreme Court, to
settle the dispute.
It is alleged that Caradonna
forged the Rebels bikie
chief's signature to
remortgage three of his
properties, including the
club's fortress-like
clubhouse at Luddenham.
It is also claimed Caradonna
paid the money into a joint
ANZ Bank business account,
owned by himself and Vella
for their promotions company
Velladonna.
The bank then allegedly
allowed Caradonna to write
cheques, including $400,000
to boxer Jeff Fenech's
company Rimridge, and
transfer other sums into his
account in breach of the
authority they had been
given by Vella.
There is no allegation
Rimridge knew the money was
allegedly stolen.
The case has grown so big
that 25 lawyers packed the
courtroom to represent the
17 parties drawn into the
mediation when they appeared
in court on Tuesday for a
preliminary mediation
hearing. The solicitor for
Fenech's company, Chris Jurd,
was forced to sit on the
chair from the witness box.
Vella, 54, claims the
Luddenham clubhouse and two
other properties from his
portfolio were secretly
remortgaged early last year.
The loans came from
Permanent Mortgages and
Mitchell Morgan Nominees,
now also involved in the
mediation.
Solicitor Lorenzo Flammia,
currently suspended by the
NSW Law Society, which is
investigating the alleged
title deed scam, is alleged
to have signed one of the
fraudulent transactions. He
has denied any involvement.
Caradonna, who seven years
ago was jailed for six
months for Commonwealth
fraud involving forged group
certificates, has denied
wrongdoing and has been put
up as a witness by the ANZ
Bank.
Police are also
investigating the case.
War feared
as bikies defect
By Janet Fife-Yeomans
April 21, 2007 12:00
Article from: The Daily
Telegraph
* Biggest defection since
Milperra massacre
* Deal sealed in Sydney pub
yesterday
* Peaceful at moment, but
'could blow up'
POLICE were last night
bracing for an escalation of
the turf wars between
Sydney's outlaw bikie gangs
after an entire chapter of
the Nomads defected to the
rival Bandidos.
The last mass defection
among the powerful
motorcycle gangs led to the
Milperra massacre in 1984
when a breakaway group of
Commancheros formed the
first Bandidos chapter in
Australia.
Six bikies and a 15-year-old
girl died in the subsequent
gunfight.
It is understood the deal
between the Parramatta and
Granville chapter of the
Nomads and the Bandidos was
sealed in a Sydney pub
yesterday.
Two weeks ago, the Nomads'
clubhouse in Cowper St,
Granville, was firebombed in
what was a suspected attack
by the Commancheros.
Gang squad boss Detective
Superintendent Scott Whyte
said yesterday, that if it
is confirmed, the defection
by up to 60 members of the
Nomads "brings a new
dimension to recent
conflicts".
"Clearly any unrest between
the clubs is concerning
because we have to be
cautious about violence
erupting," he said.
A source told The Daily
Telegraph the Nomad chapter
had decided it was "time for
a change".
The president of the Nomads
Parramatta chapter, Sam
Ibrahim, 41, has been in
jail since December after
being charged with attempted
murder over a shooting in
Newcastle.
"It's time for a change of
the guard. The Ibrahims have
run this town for long
enough," said the source.
"It's a peaceful move at the
moment but it could blow up.
No one wants that."
On the night the Granville
clubhouse was set alight,
shots were fired into the
tattoo shop of Nomads
national president, Scott
Orrock.
In March, police believe
Commancheros fired into the
Mr Goodbar nightclub in
Paddington where Sam
Ibrahim's brother John's
bodyguard, Fadi Khalifeh,
was in attendance.
War fears
as gangs from east form
allies in WA
18th April 2007, 6:15 WST
Police fear bloody gang wars
could break out after
uncovering information
suggesting two feuding
Eastern States-based bikie
gangs — the Hells Angels and
the Finks — have forged ties
with two WA-based clubs
involved in the murderous
bikie war of the late 1990s.
Gang crime squad detectives
believe they uncovered proof
of the Hells Angels’ plans
to establish a WA chapter
during a recent raid on the
Karrinyup home of a Hells
Angels associate.
During the raid, detectives
allegedly found explosives,
ammunition, a small quantity
of drugs and a collection of
Hells Angels Route 81
supporter gear — including
banners, shirts and stubby
holders — which is available
online and has been used to
market the Hells Angels as a
club which promotes a
philosophy of being free.
But detectives fear the
significant collection marks
the start of a chapter that
could become a force in
Perth’s underworld.
A 49-year-old man, whose
name has not been released,
has been charged by summons
with possessing an
extendable baton and a
throwing axe. In an
unrelated raid, detectives
charged a second Hells
Angels associate with
possessing ammunition,
explosives and a small
quantity of drugs.
In June, The West Australian
revealed police fears that
the Hells Angels were
planning to establish a WA
chapter and had met Club
Deroes bikies.
At the time, Police
Commissioner Karl
O’Callaghan said the
formation of other bikie
gangs in WA could create
conflict and escalate
violence between existing
clubs.
In another disturbing
development, detectives have
intelligence to suggest that
patched members of the Finks
have been meeting Coffin
Cheaters bikies.
The Finks and the Hells
Angels have been involved in
a feud, including shootings
and stabbings at public
events, in the Eastern
States. On Sunday night,
South Australianbased Hells
Angels and Finks were
involved in a brawl at
Adelaide airport.
The Club Deroes and the
Coffin Cheaters are regarded
as bitter WA rivals after a
bloody turf war in the 1990s
that involved fire bombings,
drive-by shootings and
vicious bashings.
Yesterday, Acting Det-Sen.
Sgt Doug Stjepic said gang
crime squad detectives were
aware of movements in WA’s
bikie scene.
LUKE ELIOT
Labelled "A dog"
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
A Bandidos member was
labelled a "dog" after
giving evidence against
colleagues accused of
burning down the clubhouse
of rival bikie club Rebels,
in fiery scenes at Brisbane
Magistrate's Court
yesterday.
Five senior Bandidos
members, including the vice
president and Sergeant-at
Arms, charged following the
March 27 attack had bail
applications refused by
Magistrate Judy Daley.
With a heavy security
presence at the courthouse,
police argued a biker "war"
was putting the public at
risk.
The court was also told a
disgruntled former Rebels
member, John Debilla, 45,
allegedly drove the Ford
getaway vehicle after the
attack on his old clubhouse
at Albion.
Police evidence includes
security footage from the
Rebels clubhouse on the
night of the attack, which
allegedly shows Blair
Raymond Thomsen, a
34-year-old business owner,
brandishing what appears to
be a pistol shortly before
an explosion.
His co-accused are Ivan
Glavas, a 47-year-old
tattooist from Chambers
Flats; painter Kenneth James
Whittaker, 32, from
Morayfield; Andrew George
Nesbitt, a 38-year-old
welder from Kulangoor on the
Sunshine Coast; and Debilla,
a plasterer from Regents
Park.
A sixth accused, a
34-year-old man from
Chambers Flats, was also
charged with arson, but has
provided evidence against
his fellow members and is
set to appear at a later
date.
When the court was told of
the defection, comments such
as "dog" and "what a joke"
were heard from a hostile
public gallery of
sympathisers.
Uniformed and plainclothes
officers were positioned
inside and outside the
courthouse with police
checking identification and
searching people entering
the Roma St building.
Several people were taken
away for questioning.
Police prosecutors argued
against bail, claiming the
arson attack was just one
example in a wider
tit-for-tat battle between
the clubs.
In February, members of the
rival clubs were involved in
a violent roadside clash at
Ningi near Bribie Island,
that left one man critically
injured.
"There is a belief there is
a war going on between the
two gangs and it is a
situation where (the fire)
is not an isolated incident,
it is one of a number
between two outlaw gangs,"
police said.
"It is quite possible gang
members could be endangered
and that the public could be
caught up in this and be
killed."
Ms Daley remanded the five
men in custody on the basis
they were a flight risk and
could attempt to obstruct
the course of justice or
interfere with witnesses.
She also said it was for
their own and the public's
protection.
James Coburn, appearing for
Bandidos vice-president
Glavas, said his client was
charged following a
conversation with the
alleged informant, "and we
don't know what sort of
deals had been done".
Whittaker's defence lawyer
said his client should be
bailed because the only
evidence against him was
service station footage
showing him buying petrol.
The five are due to face
court again on June 4.
Police broker Rebels, Bandidos 'peace deal'
By Kara Lawrence
April 17, 2007 01:00am
A PEACE deal between
Australia's two most
powerful outlaw motorcycle
gangs may be brokered by
police in the wake of the
serious bashing of the
Rebels' national enforcer
and a suspected shooting by
Bandidos.
The peace summit proposal,
which comes amid a tri-state
feud that has been inflamed
by the bashing of the
Rebels' national serjeant-at-arms
by a fellow inmate at
Sydney's Parklea prison.
The Rebels member has been
on remand since February
over an alleged bashing and
robbery of a senior Bandido
in June last year.
The fight between him and
the inmate allegedly broke
out Parklea prison's yard
about 3pm last Thursday.
The Rebel came out worse,
suffering serious facial
injuries.
Under heavy guard, he was
taken to hospital where he
was admitted overnight for
treatment.
It is understood both he and
the other inmate involved in
the fight were then placed
in segregation as prison
officials and police began
an investigation.
Sources close to the gangs,
whose feud has escalated
since June last year when a
key Rebels member defected
to the Bandidos, said the
Rebels suspected last week's
bashing was organised by the
Bandidos.
This prompted a number of
Rebels to attend a hotel in
Sydney's west, looking for
the Bandidos' Castle Hill
chapter president, whose
home was allegedly shot at
by Rebels last year.
They were allegedly chased
from the pub by Bandidos'
junior members and recruits,
who fired numerous shots at
the fleeing men.
No one was injured, but four
men were arrested by police.
Bikies have recently spoken
of escalating tensions
between the two gangs, and
said the tit-for-tat would
continue unless a peace deal
was brokered. Last month, an
insider told The Daily
Telegraph: "Neither side
will be happy until the last
fight is won."
In a statement to The Daily
Telegraph, gangs squad
commander Detective
Superintendent Scott Whyte
refused to confirm the peace
summit proposal and
"declined to comment on any
plans to mediate between
conflicting OMCGs (Outlaw
Motorcycle Gangs)".
But he said the squad would
"continue to target any
criminal behaviour by OMCG
members and monitor any
potential conflicts".
He confirmed police were
conducting inquiries into
the bashing of a man in jail
last week, but would not
comment further on that case
or the subsequent shooting.
Bandidos
refused bail over Rebels
fire
Some of the most senior
members of the Bandidos
motorcycle gang have
appeared in a Brisbane
Magistrates Court - charged
with arson.
Uniformed and plain-clothed
police officers have
surrounded the Brisbane
Magistrates Court today for
the appearance of the five
men.
Police allege they were
involved in the fire that
destroyed the Rebels
motorcycle gang's clubhouse
at Albion in Brisbane's
north late last month.
Prosecutor Sergeant Douglas
Bettany opposed bail for
each of the men, saying the
ongoing war between the
Bandidos and the Rebels
requires them to be held in
custody for their own safety
and the safety of the
public.
So far the Magistrate has
refused bail for the
Bandidos vice president Ivan
Glavas , former president,
Blair Raymond Thomson and
sergeant at arms, Kenneth
Whittaker.
They will face court again
in June.
Two other men charged over
the arson will appear in
court later today.
Police are investigating a shooting at the clubhouse of a motorcycle gang in Sydney's inner-west.
A number of shots were fired into a fortified door at the rear of an outlaw motorcycle gang clubhouse on Parramatta Rd, Petersham about 9.45pm (AEST) on Monday, police said.
Police were called to the building after reports of gunfire.
No one was hurt in the incident.
Forensic officers seized several items and police established a crime scene.
Inquiries are continuing.
Bikies in court over rival
clubhouse fire
April 16, 2007 01:45pm
Article from: AAP
THREE members of the
Bandidos motorcycle gang
were remanded in custody in
Brisbane today over the
alleged arson of a rival's
clubhouse.
Ivan Glavas, 47, Kenneth
James Whittaker, 42 and
Blair Raymond Thomson, 45,
appeared in Brisbane
Magistrates Court today
charged with one count of
arson over the March 27 fire
which destroyed the Rebels'
clubhouse at Albion in
Brisbane's inner-north.
The men – all alleged to be
senior members of the
Bandidos Brisbane chapter –
were denied bail because of
fears for their safety and
the safety of rival members
after police raised concerns
about the escalating
conflict between the two
clubs.
“It is believed that there
is a war going on between
the gangs and not only
members of the gangs are at
risk but members of the
public are also at risk,”
Police prosecutor Douglas
Bettany told the court.
The three have been remanded
in custody to appear in
Brisbane Magistrates Court
on June 4.
Bail applications for two
others alleged to have been
involved in the arson,
Bandidos member Andrew
George Nesbitt, and an
alleged getaway driver John
De Billa, have been
adjourned until this
afternoon.
Bikie gangs brawl inside
Adelaide airport
April 16, 2007 04:16pm
Article from: AAP
RIVAL motorcycle gang
members brawled at Adelaide
Airport last night but
police reported no injuries
in a clash watched by
astonished travellers.
Police said members of the
Hells Angels and Finks
motorcycle clubs fought
during a chance encounter
about 9pm CST at the airport
in Adelaide's west.
Gang members were at the
airport to greet colleagues
arriving on different
interstate flights, a police
spokesman said.
Gang members punched and
pushed outside the airport
terminal in an incident
recorded on airport
surveillance and watched by
members of the public.
No one was injured and
police were scrutinising the
security tape of the brawl,
the spokesman said.
NZ town
backs ban on gang patches
April 16, 2007 - 2:14PM
A New Zealand district has
voted overwhelmingly to ban
gang patches, in a bid to
halt violent clashes between
rival groups.
The referendum was
instigated by the Wanganui
District Council, upset at
the behaviour of several
bikie gangs, chiefly the
Mongrel Mob, Hell's Angels
and Black Power.
Civil libertarians are
horrified at the possibility
of a law that would mean
anyone wearing gang patches
or regalia in a public place
would get a $NZ5,000
($A4,400) fine.
The bill would be aimed at
those displaying gang
regalia in the Wanganui
shopping area, on beaches
and in parks.
In a local referendum at
Wanganui, on the North
Island's west coast on the
weekend, about 65 per cent
of people voted in favour of
the ban, with just 31 per
cent against it.
It follows several violent
clashes between various
gangs in the city.
In February last year a
member of the Mongrel Mob
suffered a serious head
injury in a clash with the
Hell's Angels motorcycle
gang.
In that incident 16 people
were arrested and shots were
fired in the town.
The local MP Chester Borrows
has backed the move to ban
gang regalia in Wanganui and
said he would sponsor a bill
in the national parliament
to have the council's move
made into law.
"I couldn't give a rat's
arse about what they (civil
libertarians) say," Laws
told AAP.
If the bill was passed by
the parliament, the council
would then be able to enact
local bylaws to set out
exactly how it would
operate.
Wanganui mayor Michael Laws
is a strong supporter of the
proposed law.
"Gangs are also the major
suppliers and sellers of
drugs in Wanganui and
elsewhere," Laws said in a
recent statement.
"They exist for no other
purpose than to commit
criminal and illegal acts.
Our tolerance of these petty
terrorists has allowed them
to breed and multiply. It is
time to say no more," he
said.
He highlights police figures
to show that gang-related
crime in the district is up
dramatically, from 11
incidents in 2004 to 48 last
year.
New Zealand's Police
Association has backed the
proposed bill.
But not everyone has
welcomed the possibility
that gang regalia would be
banned.
New Zealand Council for
Civil Liberties spokesman
Tony Ellis said the bill
outlawed freedom of
expression.
"The concept of freedom of
expression in a democratic
society allows people to
shock, offend and horrify.
Regardless of whether we
like what people do, say or
behave ... one has got to
have that freedom. That is
the price of democracy,"
Ellis said.
He said the ban would not
stop gang activity, just
drive it underground.
"It is really only a
superficial attack on the
problem, by trying to attack
the symbols," he said.
Ellis said the move was just
an attempt by local
parliamentarians to make a
name for themselves.
© 2007 AAP
Bandidos to
face court over Rebels fire
April 15, 2007 - 6:59PM
Six men, including five
members of the Bandidos
motorcycle gang, will appear
in a Brisbane court on
Monday, charged over the
arson of a rival bikie
gang's clubhouse.
Superintendent Rob Weir, of
the Organised Crime Squad,
on Sunday said five
Bandidos' members, including
current and former
presidents, had been charged
with setting fire to a
Rebels clubhouse on March
27.
A sixth person, an associate
of the club members, also
has been charged over the
incident and will also
appear before Brisbane
Magistrates Court.
The clubhouse at Albion, on
Brisbane's inner-north will
be demolished after the
blaze destroyed the entire
top floor of the two-storey
building and caused severe
smoke and water damage to
the lower floor.
Inspector Weir said the
arson was believed to be an
act of retaliation following
increasingly violent clashes
between the rival gangs.
The fire came after about 20
men from the Rebels and
rival club the Bandidos were
involved in a fierce brawl
near Caboolture, north of
Brisbane, in February.
"We will be alleging that it
was an act of retaliation
and that was their purpose
...," he said.
The six people arrested on
Saturday are currently in
police custody awaiting
their court appearance in
Brisbane Magistrates Court
on Monday.
Their names have yet to be
released but those charged
include a 38-year-old
Kulangoor man, two men aged
34 and 47 from Chambers
Flats, a 32-year-old
Morayfield man, a
38-year-old Stony Creek man
and 45-year-old from Regents
Park.
However, Inspector Weir
would not rule out further
charges and said the
recently established Task
Force Hydra would continue
to investigate Queensland's
outlaw motorcycle gangs.
"I can assure the public
that Task Force Hydra will
continue to investigate,
most vigorously, this group
and other outlaw motorcycle
groups," he said
Outlaw
gangs get liquor licences
Brisbane,AU. - Outlaw gangs
get liquor licences By Renee
Viellaris
A BIKIE gang which the
Police Minister believes
should be banned from giving
toys to sick children holds
three liquor licences.
The Rebels Motorcycle Club
in Rockhampton, Mackay and
at West End in Brisbane's
inner city, pay the State
Government every three
months for restricted club
permits. This is despite
Police Minister Judy Spence
demanding hospitals and
charities stop accepting
gifts and donations from
bikie gangs because "it
gives them a veneer of
respectability".
The double standard has
angered some within the
Government, who provided The
Courier-Mail with documents
revealing that police
suspected the Rockhampton
clubhouse was being used for
adult entertainment and drug
trafficking.
The permits allow the
clubhouses to trade for 21
hours a week, including up
to a 4am closing time. In
2005, the Government
introduced a lock-out,
stopping patrons re-entering
premises after 3am. The
regional clubhouses do not
adhere to the lock-out.
Fair Trading Minister
Margaret Keech refused to
answer whether she believed
it was appropriate for the
clubs to hold the licences,
especially in light of Ms
Spence's comments.
Instead, her office released
a statement which it asked
be attributed to a Liquor
Licensing spokesman saying:
"As long as they meet the
application criteria and
follow the conditions of the
Act and their permit, it is
not against the law for
motorcycle clubs to hold a
liquor licence."
The statement said that
there was no evidence to
prove the clubs had engaged
in poor management, breaches
of licence conditions or
other serious misconduct.
Renee Viellaris
.news.com.au
Arson Attack on Bandidos
The
Bandidos' new Sunshine North
clubhouse was damaged by an
arson attack Tuesday
It was the third attack on
an outlaw biker clubhouse in
five days.
Victorian police say the
Bandidos moved into the
building one month ago.
The concrete building was
splashed with fuel and set
alight, causing minor
damage.
Detectives will investigate
whether the attack was
linked to the alleged
national feud between the
Bandidos and the Rebels.
On Friday night, the Rebels'
North Geelong headquarters
was torched with three
marine flares. The next
night, a block of Werribee
units linked to the Rebels
was set alight.
Last month, a car parked
outside the Bandidos'
Geelong clubhouse was
sprayed with bullets.
Phone tap
the bikies, says MP
12.04.2007
By CAROLYN TUCKER
SHADOW Attorney-General Mark
McArdle has called for
police to be given phone
tapping powers to combat
organised crime, amid
growing concerns about the
activities of outlaw
motorcycle gangs in
Queensland.
Mr McArdle wrote to the
Parliamentary Crime and
Misconduct Commission in
February asking for a public
review of laws relating to
organised and gang-related
crime to establish whether
law enforcement agencies
need additional powers and
resources.
"Specifically, will the
committee consider our
police and other law
enforcement agencies being
given general phone tapping
powers under the
jurisdiction of a Supreme
Court Justice?" his letter
said.
He is yet to receive a
reply.
Mr McArdle, the Member for
Caloundra, said there was no
doubt that outlaw motorcycle
gangs posed a serious threat
to public safety and he was
alarmed that some community
organisations were
apparently oblivious to the
danger.
His comments follow a bike
and hotrod show at Caloundra
last weekend which was
supported by the Bandidos
motorcycle gang.
Police Minister Judy Spence
had previously urged charity
groups to ban donations from
outlaw motorcycle gangs,
saying their acceptance
lends a "veneer of
respectability" to clubs
linked to criminal
activities.
Ms Spence said it was not
illegal for community groups
to associate with the
Bandidos, although it was
not something she would
encourage.
Mr McArdle agreed, saying he
was particularly concerned
about having gang members
supporting events involving
teenage boys.
"There are a lot of positive
role models in the community
and we don't want the wrong
element influencing young
men and women – especially
young men in their teenage
years who are driven by
excitement and what they see
as a dangerous and thrilling
lifestyle," he said.
The Australian Crime
Commission’s annual report
in 2005-06 referred to the
extensive nature of outlaw
motorcycle gang members'
criminal activities.
"Such offences include
murder, firearms, illicit
drugs supply and production,
extortion, prostitution,
serious assault, sexual
assault, arson, robbery,
theft, fraud, money
laundering, corruption and
bribing officials and
perverting the cause of
justice," the report states.
Bikie gang
member charged with
blackmail
April 11, 2007 - 6:49PM
A 29-year-old motorcycle
gang member has been
arrested for allegedly
blackmailing a second
Adelaide businessman.
Police said on Wednesday the
man, who was on bail for an
earlier blackmail charge,
was arrested after fresh
evidence was discovered by
the Avatar Motorcycle Gang
Section.
The section investigates
allegations of blackmail and
extortion by motorcycle gang
members.
Police said the man was
charged with aggravated
kidnapping, blackmail,
aggravated assault, unlawful
threats and theft.
Last month the man was
charged with blackmail,
aggravated assault and
unlawful threats against
another businessman.
The man, of suburban Henley
Beach South, will appear at
the Adelaide Magistrates'
Court on Thursday
Rival
bikies suspected after
tourist spot gunfire
From The Daily Telegraph
April 09, 2007 09:51am
Article from: The Daily
Telegraph
POLICE are investigating an
early morning shooting
incident in Sydney's Darling
Harbour, possibly between
two rival bikie gangs.
Up to 30 men, believed to be
members of the Nomads and
Bandidos gangs, were seen
congregating near the
western side of Pyrmont
Bridge about 1am (AEST)
today.
Police went to the scene
after callers reported shots
had been fired outside the
Australian National Maritime
Museum.
A search of the area found a
number of spent cartridges.
There have been no reports
of injuries.
A police spokesperson for
city central area command
refused to confirm or deny
that bikie gang members were
involved.
The incident comes less than
a week after Nomad's
national president Scott
Orrock received a chilling
warning when shots were
fired into his Newtown
tattoo parlour and the
gang's Granville clubhouse
was firebombed within the
space of 90 minutes.
Bikie quarters torched
Mark Buttler
April 07, 2007 12:00am
Article from: Herald-Sun
THE torching of a bikie
clubhouse could be the
latest chapter in a
simmering feud between rival
motorcycle gangs.
The North Geelong
headquarters of the Rebels
Motorcycle Club was set
alight early yesterday in an
attack that may be linked to
hostility involving the
local Bandidos chapter.
Police are believed to be
investigating whether the
attack is the result of
tension between the groups
once again breaking out.
Only five weeks ago the
Bandidos clubhouse was
peppered with bullets by
unknown gunmen.
There is speculation the two
gangs are engaged in a turf
war.
Bikie gangs have been
expanding nationally,
creating tensions and
conflict.
In yesterday's attack, three
marine flares were flung at
the Edols Place building
about 2.20am.
Arson chemists are working
to determine whether
flammable material was
splashed around to help
spread the fire.
The rear of the Rebels
building was damaged in the
fire and a spa was wrecked.
CFA firefighters were able
to limit damage to the back
of the clubrooms, which are
in a factory complex in an
industrial area. No one was
in the building at the time.
Police are still
investigating last month's
late-night incident in which
the Bandidos clubhouse in
Bayldon Court, Breakwater,
was sprayed with 30 bullets.
Spent ammunition from at
least three firearms was
found there.
Corio CIU detectives are
investigating the latest
incident and the arson squad
has been informed.
According to the Rebels
website, they are the
biggest outlaw motorcycle
club in Australia with 29
chapters, mostly along the
east coast.
Formed in Queensland in the
late 1960s, they were
originally called the
Confederates and still fly
the Confederate flag of the
defeated South in the United
States Civil War.
Bandidos Motorcycle Club
Australia wasn't formed
until August 1983. The
charter members were
ex-members of the Comanchero
MC who defected when they
were impressed by the
hospitality of members of
the Bandidos in the US.
The Bandidos have 19
chapters in Australia.
Cops fear
national bikie war
Australia - * Up to 19 bikie
gangs operating in Victoria
* Car sprayed with bullets
in Geelong last month *
Email claiming Bandidos have
been 'called to arms'
AUSTRALIA'S largest
motorcycle gangs are
expanding their Victorian
networks as fears build of a
national bikie war.
The Herald Sun reports that
the Rebels are establishing
a new chapter in the
heartland of their rival
Outlaws gang.
The plan comes amid mounting
tension between the Rebels
and Bandidos in Victoria,
New South Wales and
Queensland.
The Rebels want to open a
clubhouse in Pakenham - long
regarded as Outlaws'
territory.
"Normally you don't get them
opening up on other people's
turf," a police source said.
"You would expect problems."
The Rebels have lodged an
application with Cardinia
Shire Council for a place of
assembly.
It could be another two
months before the
application is processed.
Law enforcement intelligence
suggests that Victoria is
home to six Rebels chapters.
They are among up to 19
motorcycle gangs police know
to be operating in Victoria.
The Bandidos and the Rebels
are in the throes of a
violent turf battle in
Victoria. Among recent
developments:
# Detectives met the
presidents of both clubs to
call for calm after a car
had been sprayed with
bullets outside the Bandidos
headquarters in Geelong last
month.
# Police retrieved an
anonymous email after the
shooting. It read: "You may
or may not be aware, but the
Banditos (sic) MC clubs in
Geelong, Ballarat and
Melbourne have been called
to arms against the Rebels
MC. The Rebels MC are
attempting a turf takeover."
# Rebels boss "Snake" has
recently been bashed twice
in a Geelong pub.
The Bandidos are suspected
of torching the Rebels'
Brisbane headquarters last
week.
And the clubs are at war in
NSW over the defection of a
Rebel member last year that
triggered a series of
violent assaults and even a
firebombing.
Alex Vella, reputedly the
Rebels' national boss,
returned from overseas this
week insisting he was
oblivious to any conflict.
"I've done no wrong to
anybody: I pay my taxes," he
told the Herald Sun.
Mr Vella said he was no
longer club president and
"rode with the boys" only
once a year.
A bikie source said he
believed the Outlaws planned
a deeper push into the
Rebels' Victorian domain.
He believed they wanted to
open two new chapters in
suburban Melbourne - one in
Sunshine, the other near
Broadmeadows.
"They're coalescing now,"
said the source.
The Rebels also have a
clubhouse in Sunshine.
"It's going to get people
offside," said the source.
"All that turf bulls..t is
going to flare up until
there's a truce and things
settle down."
The Outlaws are also
expanding in South-East Asia
with a new membership base
in the Philippines' Cebu
province.
Bikie gangs - whose main
illicit enterprise is
amphetamine trafficking -
are attracted to Asia by the
ease with which they can
source chemicals there,
police believe.
The FBI rates the Outlaws
among the four most powerful
bikie gangs in the world,
behind the Bandidos, Hells
Angels and Pagans in the US.
Supt Paul Hollowood said
police were aware of changes
within gangs.
"Victoria Police closely
monitors the criminal
activities of outlaw
motorcycle gangs and, where
intelligence identifies
criminal activities by
individuals, they are
targeted for investigation,"
he said.
The Australian Crime
Commission found that 10
criminal bikie gangs opened
26 new chapters in all six
states last year.
Its head, Alistair Milroy
said the trend was
disturbing.
"The expansion is of
concern," he said.
Rocket man
explains: I forgot the
launchers were there
Della-Vedova in a 2002 army
photo.
SHANE DELLA-VEDOVA says he
opened the boot of his army
vehicle, and knew he'd
messed up. There inside were
10 M72 rocket launchers -
and, the Australian Army
captain says, he had simply
forgotten they were there.
That's his story - and he's
sticking to it, according to
documents tendered when the
highly regarded soldier
faced court charged over the
theft of the launchers,
which police allege
eventually ended up in the
hands of a terrorist group.
Investigators are
considering treason charges
against a man regarded as
one of the nation's leading
munitions experts. He has
already been charged on 21
other counts.
The day he found the
launchers in his boot, the
now 46-year-old expert in
the destruction of outdated
and unwanted weapons had
spent the day at the School
of Infantry warfare base in
the Hunter Valley,
destroying a stockpile of
M72 rocket launchers.
He had taken the launchers,
used to defend against light
armoured tanks or to attack
bunker systems, from a
munitions bunker at
Holsworthy Army Camp. They
had reached their 10-year
use-by-date and were
considered a danger. Della-Vedova's
skill was in getting rid of
them, and that day he did
his job on most of them.
He got back in his vehicle
and drove the 300 kilometres
back to Holsworthy,
exhausted. He told NSW
Counter-Terrorism detectives
that when he got there he
made his discovery: "I
forgot they were there."
Della-Vedova was arrested
along with his former
brother-in-law, Steven
Taylor, on Thursday.
Taylor, 38, is a former
soldier who was employed
with the army's Holsworthy
fire brigade unit.
It was Della-Vedova's
alleged "I forgot"
confession that led to the
rocket launchers falling
into the hands of Sydney
criminals and an alleged
terrorist cell via a
go-between member of the
Rebels outlaw motorcycle
gang.
The details were revealed in
police documents presented
to Central Local Court on
Thursday.
Police say Della-Vedova
claimed that after finding
the launchers in his boot,
he panicked. He hid them
first in his Holsworthy
office, painting the serial
numbers over with black
paint, and then secreted
them in the garage of his
home at nearby Wattle Grove.
They were still there a few
months later when Della-Vedova
left for Iraq, where he
worked alongside the elite
SAS.
They were missions for which
he was in demand: he was
regarded as one of the
Australian military's top
munitions demolition
experts. He had worked all
over the country, including
at the top-secret Woomera
rocket range in South
Australia. He came back from
Iraq a decorated soldier.
Taylor, 38, is a former
soldier who was employed
with the army's Holsworthy
fire brigade unit.
It was Della-Vedova's
alleged "I forgot"
confession that led to the
rocket launchers falling
into the hands of Sydney
criminals and an alleged
terrorist cell via a
go-between member of the
Rebels outlaw motorcycle
gang.
The details were revealed in
police documents presented
to Central Local Court on
Thursday.
Police say Della-Vedova
claimed that after finding
the launchers in his boot,
he panicked. He hid them
first in his Holsworthy
office, painting the serial
numbers over with black
paint, and then secreted
them in the garage of his
home at nearby Wattle Grove.
They were still there a few
months later when Della-Vedova
left for Iraq, where he
worked alongside the elite
SAS.
They were missions for which
he was in demand: he was
regarded as one of the
Australian military's top
munitions demolition
experts. He had worked all
over the country, including
at the top-secret Woomera
rocket range in South
Australia. He came back from
Iraq a decorated soldier.
But based on the police
description of his
confession, Della-Vedova
hardly behaved like one. He
pulled the rocket launchers
from their hiding places and
passed them to Taylor. The
police documents say only
that Della-Vedova knew the
rockets would be sold by
Taylor for $5000 each. And
Taylor's customers were
Sydney criminals, police
say.
The court documents allege
that it was via Taylor's
connection with a Sydney
member of the Rebels
motorcycle gang that the
rockets came to be passed to
Taha Abdul Rahman, of Casula,
an alleged illegal arms
dealer to Sydney criminals.
The Rebels member has since
been given police
protection.
Rahman was charged in
January with having sold
seven of the rocket
launchers to a convicted
murderer, Adnan "Eddi"
Darwiche, who wanted to use
two as weapons in an
inter-family drug feud.
Darwiche is alleged to have
kept two, then sold five to
a group of nine men who have
since been charged with
plotting to commit a
terrorist attack in Sydney.
Darwiche, in an unsuccessful
plea bargain to have his
life sentence reduced,
handed one of his two rocket
launchers to police last
September.
The Herald understands
Commonwealth prosecutors are
still considering bringing a
treason or treachery charge
against Della-Vedova.
He has so far been charged
with 21 counts, including
one of theft of Commonwealth
property, 10 of possession
of a prohibited weapon and
10 of the unauthorised
supply of a prohibited
weapon.
Taylor, 38, has been charged
with the theft and sale of
the rockets, but in evidence
during Thursday's hearing is
alleged to have been the
mastermind of the plan to
sell the rockets and
allegedly was recorded in
phone taps threatening to
kill anyone who informed on
him.
Blantantly stolen from ozbiker.org
Tattoo
shop/ clubhouse attacked
Thursday, 05 April 2007
The boss of one of
Australia's biggest outlaw
motorcycle clubs, the
Nomads, has called on his
enemies to face him
personally after his tattoo
shop was shot up and a Nomad
clubhouse firebombed
yesterday.
The two attacks, which
occurred within 90 minutes
of each other early
yesterday, are suspected to
be an escalation of an
alleged feud between the
Nomads and another club –
the Comancheros.
It follows a nightclub
shooting last month in which
Comancheros are suspected of
firing shots in a Paddington
nightclub which the
bodyguard of a Nomad's
associate was attending.
Scott Orrock, the Nomads
national president,
yesterday fumed as he
accused those who carried
out the overnight attack on
his business as being
cowardly "dogs".
While refusing to confirm a
Comancheros connection – or
draw a link to the
firebombing of the Nomads
Granville chapter clubhouse
– Orrock said he was "really
fucking angry".
He did not call for
retribution but said that
anyone who had a problem
with him should say it to
his face, rather than engage
in scare tactics.
"I think to shoot someone's
place up at three in the
morning is a dog act," he
said.
"You could train a monkey
for that. If they've got
problems with me, they can
come to my face."
Four rounds were fired into
Orrock's Skin Deep Tattoo
parlour in King St, Newtown,
at about 3am.
A police spokesman said two
men on foot were responsible
for the shooting. After
firing the shots, they fled
on foot east along Newman
St.
The bullets shattered the
shop's front window, with
one bullet penetrating a
chair and the other a rear
door. No one was in the
store at the time.
Orrock, who was shot in the
leg last year at Showgirl's
nightclub in what is
believed to be a friendly
fire accident by his own
members, said the gunmen
were wrong to target a
legitimate business and its
staff.
"If it was a personal thing,
okay, call me out, but this
affects six people and their
families," he said.
"Men don't do that. Men
don't put the lives of
innocent people and their
families in jeopardy, they
front their problems and
sort it out. I've never seen
anything as ridiculous in my
entire fucking life."
About 1.30am yesterday, a
van was driven through the
roller door of the Nomads
clubhouse in Cowper St,
Granville, and set alight.
The van snapped the roller
door in two as well as a
bollard.
The fire also destroyed
several motorcycles which
were inside the clubhouse
and caused extensive damage
to the building. No one was
injured.
Police and firefighters were
called to the factory.
Police proceeded with
caution fearing there may be
ammunition inside the
clubhouse.
On March 15, police believe
Comancheros members shot
into a crowd of partygoers
at Mr Goodbar nightclub in
Paddington, where Nomads
member Sam Ibrahim's brother
John's bodyguard, Fadi
Khalifeh, was in attendance.
Police yesterday said
Khalifeh escaped injury.
Army
rocket thief running out of
time
April 5, 2007 - 6:02AM
An army officer at the
centre of a weapons racket
involving stolen rocket
launchers is expected to be
arrested as early as today.
The mid-ranking Australian
Defence Force officer is
allegedly at the centre of
the racket that has
delivered rocket launchers
into the hands of bikies and
alleged terrorists accused
of plotting an attack in
Sydney.
He will be charged with a
string of offences over the
alleged theft of a cache of
weapons, including seven
rocket launchers, five of
which allegedly fell into
the hands of a man accused
of planning a terror attack
in Sydney.
The same man is also accused
of supplying weapons to a
contact inside the Sydney
chapter of Australia's
biggest outlaw motorcycle
gang, the Rebels.
The arrest would follow a
five-month investigation by
state and federal police
into the theft of the
weapons, believed to have
taken place over more than a
decade, The Australian
reports.
It is expected that the
arrest of the army officer
could lead to further
arrests.
One of the seven anti-tank
rocket launchers stolen from
the army has been recovered.
But the five that ended up
in the hands of the
Sydney-based terror suspect,
through an accused arms
dealer, have never been
found despite an intensive
search by NSW and federal
police.
Bikie gang rebel allowed
back in
Alex Vella arrives back in
Sydney this morning.
Photo: Sahlan Hayes
Dylan Welch
April 4, 2007 - 10:09AM
The national president of
the Rebels bikie gang
returned to Australia this
morning, despite the Federal
Government threatening to
not allow him back in.
Alex Vella, chief of one of
Australia's biggest bikie
gangs and a citizen of
Malta, arrived on an
Emirates flight from Tokyo
into Sydney about 7.30am
today.
Greeted by the media, Mr
Vella said he had done
nothing to deserve the
treatment he had received
from Australia, the country
in which he has lived for
four decades.
"They pushed me out of the
door and locked it behind
me, nothing more than that,"
he said.
"After you paid the tax and
vote for them, [that's] the
thank-you they give you
mate. I've been 40 years in
this country, I've done
everything right."
He said the matter of his
immigration status had not
been completely solved - he
said it had been an issue
since the 1970s - but he
hoped his lawyers would
reach a solution.
"I'm going ... and take care
of it the lawyers' way;
that's the only way I take
care of my business and
always has been."
He simply rode a motorcycle
as a hobby, he said.
"I'm a family man and a
businessman like everyone
else."
Mr Vella arrived at Sydney
International Airport after
flying to Japan last month
to watch his middleweight
boxer son, Adam Vella, fight
in Tokyo.
While he was overseas, it
was reported that NSW Police
were preparing a case for
the Immigration Department
to refuse the
multi-millionaire a new visa
to return to Australia.
Mr Vella, 54, has lived in
Australia as a resident for
about the past 40 years.
His wife and two sons are
Australian citizens, but he
never applied for
citizenship.
He was left stranded because
his resident return visa
expired in January, forcing
him to apply for a new one
in Japan.
He has been of interest to
state and federal law
enforcement agencies in the
past and was convicted in
1995 of possessing a
traffickable quantity of
cannabis in his home.
Mr Vella's property was
later raided by police
representing state and
national crime authorities,
who seized and froze $3
million worth of his assets.
The assets were returned to
him after he paid a $650,000
settlement to the NSW Crime
Commission.
The police argument against
Mr Vella's visa was
reportedly based on his drug
conviction and position of
authority within the Rebels,
meaning he did not pass the
immigration test of good
character.
At the time, a spokeswoman
for Immigration Minister
Kevin Andrews said Mr Vella
would be unable to return
while the application was
assessed, but could not say
how long it would take.
Mr Vella described the
attempts to block his entry
as "a joke".
"They gave me the advice to
fix the visa in Japan and
the Australian ambassador,
he didn't want to help me,
mate," he said.
"I done nothing wrong. I
ride a motorcycle, I got a
hobby, that's all it is.
"I have tried five years ago
and when I tried they told
me to leave the country.
"At the time I had 45 people
working for me, paying taxes
and voting and they ask me
to leave the country.
"I fought and won in the
High Court. And now they
pushed me out the door and
locked it behind me.
"Every time I travel in and
out of the country, they
hassle me all the time."
Mr Vella described himself
as a "peacemaker", who
deserved better treatment
from the authorities.
"I have been a president of
this club for over two years
now," he said.
"But when we go for a ride,
the police come to me and
ask me for help, and I make
the peace and I take care of
everything ... They call you
when they need you and kick
you away when they don't.
"This has been the worst two
weeks of my life, sitting by
the phone ... I had four
lawyers working on this."
Asked if he would celebrate
his homecoming, Mr Vella
said he celebrated "every
night".
"I can handle the pressure
they give to me, I don't
care what they do. I have
had guns held to my head in
the past to make me sign
statements and I said "Do
it, because I'm not going to
sign anything."
Angels,
not demons
02.04.2007
ALMOST 200 Hell’s Angels
bikies and friends hit the
Sunshine Coast for a party
on Saturday and despite
their reputation for
lawlessness the visit went
off almost without a
problem.
About 100 national and
international members of the
outlaw motorcycle gang and
90 of their associates
converged on Mooloolaba for
their 10th anniversary
celebrations, having booked
into five motels under false
names.
Senior police, who had been
warned of the visit, called
in 13 extra officers from
Brisbane’s public safety
response team and gang
taskforce Operation Hydra as
well as putting an extra
contingent of Coast officers
on patrol.
Inspector Darryl White said
another group of police was
also on standby but was not
needed.
“They are an outlaw
motorcycle gang and they
don’t have a great deal of
respect for the community or
the laws and we just wanted
to be mindful that if there
was an incident we were able
to handle it,” he said.
“Mooloolaba has its own
issues with a lot of people
affected by alcohol and you
throw into the mix members
of an outlaw motorcycle gang
and it has the potential to
end up in an altercation.”
Insp White said police were
called to three minor
incidents. Bizarrely, the
bikies had hired a barrister
and solicitor to travel with
them and offer legal advice.
“As a result of consultation
with their legal counsel we
were able to diffuse the
situations and prevent them
from escalating,” Insp White
said.
There were no arrests and no
positive random breath test
results but plenty of
complaints about motorbike
noise, particularly from
diners on Mooloolaba
Esplanade.
One motel owner said she was
initially concerned when
“The Yamaha Group” that
booked out her facility
turned out to be 50 Hell’s
Angels.
“I was talking to one of
them when they were checking
in and they said they would
leave the rooms in good
order,” she said.
“There was no damage done to
the rooms, we just had a few
neighbours complaining about
the noise from their bikes.
But as if I was going to
tell them to quieten down!”
Hell’s Angels officials
declined to comment on the
visit when contacted by the
Daily yesterday.
Bikie
war concern
- CASHED-up bikie gangs are
gaining a stronger foothold
in Queensland and need close
monitoring, a top-level
crime report reveals.
Real estate agencies,
trucking companies and
licensed premises were being
used to launder money as
more interstate bikies set
up operations in Queensland.
"Recent indications are that
outlaw motorcycle gangs are
. . . becoming more active
in Queensland and more
widely spread with a number
of new chapters being
established in the past two
years," the CMC submission
to the Parliamentary Joint
Commission on the Australian
Crime Commission said.
"The threat posed by them is
likely to increase in line
with their membership (and)
they warrant ongoing close
monitoring on the part of
law enforcement."
It comes as police r
